Changed, Book 1: The Dragon Spreads His Wings
by Koriat Cyredanthem
Summary: Leo's secret is out, but when it's pulled from him, he's left with some surprising effects. What happened to Leo's soul? TMNT is not mine: Read and critique, please! Leo/Mikey fluff. SERIES DISCONTINUED
1. Mindful Secrets

**A/N:** **This is my first story. Please read and review! Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles. They belong to themselves... and the comic book writers, I suppose. I only own Darkwing. Go to and search for "tmnt leonardo" and listen to some of those songs while you read this. Especially "Leonardo when you're gone" and "Leonardo Tribute- The Warrior". I do not own these songs nor the pics nor the video... it's just a suggestion.**

Leo sighed. _I can't keep doing this,_ he thought, stretching fully backwards, his fingers touching the mats beneath him. _I can't keep getting up like this._

Every day, Leo woke at four in the morning and began training. By the time his brothers joined him at six with Master Splinter, he was warmed up and ready to go, and had been practicing for two hours already. He joined them regardless, and still defeated each one singly and even two-on-one.

But he had a secret.

Sighing, he decided to meditate for an hour and then practice. Folding himself into a lotus position, Leonardo let his mind go, becoming one with his surroundings.

"Yo, Leo!" a harsh voice called, jolting Leo out of his meditation. He hadn't realized he'd gone so deep. He blushed as he opened his eyes and found all three of his brothers staring at him and felt an unexplainable rush of anger.

"What?" he snapped unintentionally, jumping to his three-toed feet and rolling his shoulders.

"It's, like, nine, bro," Mike said, smiling. "You tired or somethin'?"

"Or something," Leo agreed, taking his katanas out and settling into a defensive stance. "Well, are we going to practice?"

"We just did. Master Splinter said that you could miss this. You seemed deep in, Leo. By the way, we're all getting check ups tonight. It's about time we were checked out. Living in the sewers is dangerous…"

Leo felt like fainting. Donnie was going to be checking them tonight? He couldn't let his brother do that; Don would find out about his coughing fits he had now, and probably keep him from practicing.

"Okay," Leo agreed, though somewhat piqued. "I'll be back in a couple hours. I need some air."

"Visions again, Fearless?" Raph sneered, though kind of concerned. Leo looked… _Frightened? Of what?_ the hothead turtle asked himself.

"Something like that." Leo sheathed his swords and walked out of the dojo, bowed to Master Splinter, and then donned his shell cell and pads. As he ambled slowly – inconspicuously – out the door, Raph joined him.

"Want some company?" he asked softly when they were outside. Leo smiled slightly. Raph was the softest of them all, but never let him catch you saying that or he'd beat you to a pulp!

Leo was sure, but after a moment of hesitation, he answered blindly, "Sure." _Why'd you do that?_ he berated himself. _Another fit's gonna hit soon, you know it. Do you _want_ him to know?_

A small part of him answered in the affirmative. Leo sighed softly and broke into a run, leaping over pipes and obstacles he sensed rather than saw. Raph followed, though slower. He could not sense the barriers like Leo could, and that scared him.

_What's Leo doin'? _he thought to himself. _He's never been able to do this before._ Suddenly, ahead, he heard a cough. Then another. Then nothing.

"Leo?" Raph asked into the darkness. When he got no answer, he called louder. "Leo!"

A small sound pulled him ahead, and he came upon a footprint. It was Leo's, but it stank like blood. "What the shell?!"

He followed the footprints to the roof, and then they disappeared. Unnerved, Raph took out his shell cell and called Leo, who didn't answer. Then he called the lair.

"Hello? Raph?" Don's voice answered.

"Can't talk, Donnie. Get Mikey, some first-aid stuff, and a tranquilizer. I need you here now." Raph paused and looked around. He spotted something that looked like Leo's pads and katanas in a dumpster. Sure enough, they were. When he dragged them out, they had claw marks all over them. "Ummm, get some of your heaviest tranquilizers, Don."

"Why? What's goin' on?"

"I don't know. Just follow my shell cell. I'm goin' after him."

"Him- Who?" But Raph had hung up on Don. He turned to the claw marks on the building he'd spotted.

"Alright, Leo. What's this game?" He donned a pair of climbing claws and walked up the uneven brick. The claw marks were heavy, deep, and far apart. The thing that made them was big and heavy, then.

He got to the roof to see Leo crouching on the pavement, shuddering.

"Leo?" Raph asked carefully, walking around to his brother's side and putting a hand on his shoulder. Leo didn't respond, but his shuddering decreased a little. A little groan escaped his throat. "What's wrong?"

Raph knelt and tilted Leo's face up to his and nearly leapt up in horror. Blood ran from Leo's mouth and he was coughing weakly, gasping for breath. His eyes were blood-shot and had turned from blue to dark, dark red, maybe even black.

"Whoa," Raph grunted, holding still as Leo tipped slightly as if drunk. Below, he heard clanging and the hushed voices of his brothers. "Leo, come on. Snap outta it!"

A snarl rose from his brother, purely bestial. Raph leapt back just as Don and Mike topped the roof… and just as Leo transformed.

The first thing to go was his eyes. They turned blood red and slitted. Then, he grew scales, large black ones. His fingers became huge claws, and wings sprouted from his back until he was half-turtle, half-dragon. Next, he grew a tail and his shell became scales.

A pure black dragon about the size of a small horse faced the three brothers now. Dragon-Leo hissed as Don pulled out a tranquilizer gun, amazingly calm, and shot at Dragon-Leo. The needle bounced off his scales and he turned to Don, roaring angrily.

"Leo!" Raph called, trying to give Don the time he needed to load another shot, this one colored red. The dragon turned to look at Raph, and then sat down quite suddenly.

_Raph… Help!_ A voice pleaded to Raph in his head. It sounded like Leo, but more animalistic.

"Leo! What's going on?"

_I… Ahhh! I don't know. Please, Raph, it hurts._

"How can we get you back to turtle form?" Don asked, apparently picking up on the conversation. The dragon's eyes blazed anger and he stood, smoke trickling out of his nostrils.

_The wing! It's not scale! Quick!_

Now everyone heard Leo's "voice" and his frantic plea. Mikey nodded and drew his nunchucks. His could hit the dragon without hurting him or Leo with his blunt weapons, unlike Raph's Sai.

"Get his wing!" Don cried, holding up the tranquilizer.

Raph leapt up and caught the wing, using his weight to pin it down as the dragon struggled against the chain Mike fastened around his ankles. Finally, the subdued the dragon and it calmed just as quickly.

_I've got control… for now. Quick, tranquillize me! I don't know how much longer I can-_

Leo's cry was silenced as the dragon's eyes snapped open and he struggled again. Don aimed the tranquilizer and shot it right into the right wing joint, where flesh began and scales ended.

_Thanks. That did it. Stand back. I'm going to try to break out of here._ The dragon shuddered and then dissolved, leaving their brother lying on the pavement, bruised but not hurt badly.


	2. Dark Fate

"What the shell was that?" Raph asked, helping Leo stand.

"I… don't know. His name is Darkwing, though. He says that he has possessed me because I am half-reptilian."

"Whoa, slow down, Leo," Don suggested, getting the man-hole cover off the sewer opening and helping his brother down the ladder. "Tell us at the lair."

"I only have a few hours before Darkwing wakes up and takes over my mind again," Leo warned, stepping around a pipe he could not have possibly seen. Noticing his brother's stares, he chuckled. "There is some good to this. I can see in the dark as if the lights were on, and I can hear a hundred times better. Also, I can have scales at will."

"Tell us later," Don insisted firmly, punching in the code for the first doorway into the lair.

"Bro, I think you've still got Darkwing's tail," Mikey said suddenly, putting a hand on Leo's black, scaly tail that jutted from beneath his shell.

"Yes, I retain some of Darkwing every time I go back to myself. It is getting worse, though. Last time, it was only my red eyes."

"I was wondering why you were insisting on wearing that blind mask. Said it was an exercise," Raph commented bitterly.

"Hold up," Leo suddenly ordered, sniffing the air around him. "There's a Foot ninja ahead."

"Aw, shell. Where?" Raph asked, drawing his Sai. However, Leo was already gone, and a muffled yell tore from an invisible ninja's throat as Leo's tail wrapped around him and pulled him back to the group.

"Got him," Leo whispered, squeezing tighter on the ninja. "Don, can you give us a light?"

"Huh? Sure." Don pulled out a break-and-glow stick that he cracked and shook. Soon, a sickly yellow illumination cast a light on Leo, who was holding the ninja in his tail next to him.

"You could beat Splinter in a tail-wrestling contest!" Mikey burst out humorously. "Seriously, dude. Look at that thing!"

"Can we get on with it? Why are you here?" Leo asked the ninja, taking the tip of his tail from the Foot's mouth. "Answer me!"

"Freak," the ninja hissed, rewarded by a tightening of the tail. He gasped as his ribs began to break. "I was sent to destroy you!"

"A one-man force for us four? Shredder must think highly of you to do that. Or he wants you killed. Either way, you're going to answer my questions, or I'll set Darkwing on you, got it?" Raph asked, pointing to Leo, who growled quite like a dragon. The ninja couldn't keep his fear from showing.

"So, who sent you? How'd you find this tunnel?"

The ninja was silent.

"Fine. Darkwing, if you would…"

Leo grinned maliciously and let his scales grow over him, starting in the chest and keeping the transformation slow so he could back out at any time. The ninja looked at him fearfully as Leo's pupils split into slits and his irises turned red.

"I recommend you tell us something," Don said casually, waving a hand to Leo, who stopped the transformation. "He's not trained to keep his bites non-lethal."

Leo smiled, showing off pointed teeth. His chest was covered with scales now, and they were spreading down his sides.

"Alright, alright! Just get this freaky freak off me!" the ninja cried, struggling fiercely.

"Can I bite him?" Leo asked. "He called me a freak."

"No, Darkwing. Let him go. He won't go anywhere. If he does, you can hunt him down. And, Foot, I mean that quite literally."

"I was sent to find you four and plant a tracking device on one. I alone was chosen because of my… special talent." Suddenly, he roared and launched himself at Leo, whose scales – now covering his entire torso – just barely protected him from the claws sprouting from the ninja's hands. Before Raph, Don, or Mikey could move, Leo had roared back and engaged in battle, tail and claws whirling against his opponent.

"Darkwing! You should have smelled me on this pathetic human!" the ninja's dragon side screamed. Its voice was feminine. "I am here to destroy you once and for all!"

"Ah! Shikeera!" Leo's voice called, but more animal. Darkwing must have awoken. "I thought I smelled your treachery around here. How's the family?"

"Great, now that they're about to be avenged!"

Leo and the Foot ninja stepped back suddenly, and changed. Leo's black dragon sprang forth with such intensity that his tail cracked the walls. The Foot ninja's dragon form was bright blue and shone with light.

They battled, scales and claws scraping on each other until both wore down, though Leo seemed to be in better shape than Shikeera.

"I'll be back, Darkwing! And this time, I will not fail!" Shikeera said something and popped out of existence; Darkwing tensed as the three turtle brothers came forward again, Don's hand holding the light.

"Do I have to shoot you again, Leo?"

"I am not Leonardo, I am Darkwing. For now. Please, I did not understand we were on the same side. My host has been… unwilling to share information about you five."

"Why'd you take over Leo?" Raph ordered. "Why aren't you letting him go?"

"It's a difficult thing to understand, but since you asked… I am too cold here. Let us retire to your lair. I will subside to Leonardo for now, but when I tell my tale, I will not tell it through him. He has a way of… changing perspectives."

Raph laughed. "Ain't that the truth."

_I can hear you, you know, _Leo's voice sighed. _Darkwing, let me out._

"As you command, **Fearless Leader**." Darkwing laughed and shrunk into Leo's form, who sneered at the claws on his hands.

"You do that on purpose," he accused his dragon self.

_Not guilty. I told you, until you complete the task I set, I will have dominance over you._

"Care to be tranquilized again?" Leo asked, letting scales shift over his body.

_You do that and I'll-_

"Guys! Come on. Let's get to the lair. Leo, stop ticking off the dragon who just happens to be able to turn you into him. Don, cover our backs. Mikey, stay with Leo. If Darkwing starts comin' out-"

_I promised I wouldn't._

"And a dragon's word is law," Leo said as if finishing a quote. "You have to promise not to eat anyone, okay, Darkwing?"

_I only eat meat, Leonardo. You know that._

"Boy do I," Leo muttered, licking his lips. "That stuff is the nastiest I've ever tasted."

"Waitwaitwaitwait. You've eaten meat, Leo?! Dude, are you cannibal now?"

"No," Leo assured Mikey. "**Someone** can't live off veggies and grains like we do. No, Darkwing's gotta have live meat. Preferably deer or elk. But the taste is ungodly. Not to mention, we have to fly all the way to the frickin' country to find some."

_It's not my fault you humans don't have eating reserves in your cities. Besides, you loved flying. And don't lie about that, either. You loved it._

"Sure, I did, but the taste of meat? Ugh…"

"Here we are. Darkwing, uh, can you promise not to scare Master Splinter? He's kind of old and his heart's not really in a good condition right now," Don explained.

_I shan't, I give you my word. Leonardo has told me much of bushido and honor._ There was a despairing voice in Darkwing's sigh. _It seems I am the only one to listen to him._

"We've given up long ago," Mikey cried cheerfully. "Check this out!" He pulled out a pair of ear buds and stuck them in his ear. "Totally awesome. It drowns out Leo's lectures. We all carry some know."

"I was wondering why you always touched your ears when I talked to you," Leo murmured, walking into the lair's dojo. "I think this would be the best place for now. I will get the book I found with Darkwing." He returned to his room and picked up the book. It was old and dusty, but the writing was clear. It was a diary of past hosts for Darkwing, and it had explained everything to him from the host's view. That was why he wasn't worried about the coughing fits. They were just a result from Darkwing's influence.

"So, this is the diary of Darkwing's past hosts. I have been writing in it even as I have read it. It has helped me through many phases of this thing," Leo told his brother, sitting down with the book before him. "I am the only one who can read it, and I can't read it to you because of ancient grudges, but I can tell you the gist of it."

"Wait. How about this? We ask questions, you answer us. Or if you can't, Darkwing will. But Darkwing, please don't turn into yourself. If Master Splinter saw-"

"Saw what?" an old voice asked from the doorway. Leo leapt to his feet and bowed the instant he heard it. Darkwing's silent chuckle made him blush slightly. Don, Raph, and Mikey weren't far behind, Don swallowing the rest of his suggestion.


	3. A Bit of History

"Ah, Master Splinter! We weren't expecting you to be up." Leo gulped.

"Obviously not," the old rat chuckled, tapping his walking cane on the floor meaningfully. "Tell me nonetheless. What are you so afraid of to let me know about?"

"We meant no disrespect, Master Splinter," Leo started. Darkwing chuckled again, liking his host's discomfort. "We were merely discussing a tender topic."

"Ah. May I join, or is this a young-brothers-only meeting?"

"I'm not sure you'd like to, Sensei," Mikey interrupted.

"Why ever not? What concerns you concerns me. Please, continue your discussion." He knelt in beside Leo, understanding that Leo was running this meeting.

"Should we?" Leo asked his brothers and Darkwing.

_Why not? He'll find out soon enough. Let me out, Leonardo, and let me talk to him,_ Darkwing's voice advised on an open thought. Master Splinter's head raised sharply as Leo backed away slowly.

"I am sorry for not telling you sooner, Sensei. But… I am not wholly turtle any more."

"What do you mean?" the rat snapped, but silenced as Leo shut his eyes and let Darkwing take over his physical form and then transform it. Soon, facing their old Sensei, was a horse-sized black dragon.

"I am Darkwing," he said graciously, fanning his wings gently and dipping his front quarters. "I have taken over your son's body and mind to help combat an evil that arises soon. He has wished to keep this secret, though I advised against it."

_Sure. Like you'd take my being a dragon easily, _Leo's voice scoffed. _Just tell them about when I found you and then let me outta here._

"As you can see, we share a single physical form that changes to suit the mind 'driving', as Leonardo says. When I am dormant, Leo's body and mind are apparent. When he is dormant, this is what you get. An improvement, I assure you."

_Ha ha ha. Listen to the funny glorified lizard._

"Shut up. Anyway, he found my book – that keeps former host's thoughts and my soul in it – in the hands of the Purple Dragons. They didn't know what I was, only that I was powerful. When his hand – or paw, which is it?"

"Hand. Paws are normally referred to when the-"

"Thank you, Donatello. Let our… guest continue, if you please," Splinter admonished. "Please, keep going."

"I was sucked into him, basically. It wasn't very pleasant for either of us." Darkwing's wings shook and he looked down. "His mind was empty, pretty much, from all of his meditation. I helped fill that room, but Leonardo does have room for one more Inhabitant, which is what you call my kind. I am a Dragon Inhabitant, as is Shikeera, the blue dragon who inhabited the Foot Ninja. Only the most trained in mental combat and stability can maintain hold on an Inhabitant and still keep rational. You, Master Splinter, have taught your son well." Splinter nodded in acknowledgement and thanks.

"He was able to keep himself in check though I was… rather excited."

_More like scared out of his scales,_ Leo's voice laughed. _He was just ready to come out and pounce on those Purple Dragons._

"When the battle was over, he sat down and tried to push me out right away. He wasn't able to, thankfully."

_Not for my lack of trying,_ Leo muttered darkly.

"Why not?" Don asked.

"He was unable to get rid of me because I was rooted too firmly in his mind. Also, that empty space I was talking about? It needed filling, and here I was! It would have been bad if he did, because my hold was so good that I'd pull his mind with me. Once I told Leonardo that, he allowed me to stay, but he said that it was temporary. That was before he discovered flying and all I have to offer."

_You like that part, don't you? I loved flying, sure, but the deer… Not so great._

"As you have heard from Fearless Leader, he has had a taste of my kind of food and didn't like it very much. To be fair, I tried veggies, but those are unkind to my stomach."

_You're telling me._

"My system didn't take well to it. It has been a few weeks since I Inhabited Leonardo, by the way. This vegetable disaster struck last week, when my host was unable to cope with meat anymore. I tried to appease him and eat greens, but I ended up throwing it up through his body. That is the source of the coughing fits he has been having."

"Coughing fits?"

"Ah, yes. He didn't tell you because he didn't want me to be known yet, though I warned him that the time for his task was coming close."

"Task?" Raph asked, twirling a Sai. In response, Darkwing shifted to Leo, who sat down suddenly.

"Don't do that! I hate it!" he snarled at Darkwing.

_Sorry._ In fact, the dragon did sound sorry.

"What?" Don asked.

"When he changes like that, it can give me a headache… or worse. Also, it so happens that when he does that, he has more power over me. And it hurts like shell!"

"What task?" Splinter asked quietly.

"Right. I have a task to complete before the end of this moon or Darkwing will forever be trapped in me. Personally, I wouldn't mind, but he insists that I have to let him go or he will never have a new host."

"What task is this?"

"That's the problem. I have to find a werewolf Inhabitant and absorb it, too. And, once that's done, I have to get Mikey a Mage, Don a Sorcerer, and Raph a vampire. Get it? You all have the room and training for Inhabitants, and we'll need them all for the Final Battle."

"Final Battle?" Splinter asked.

"I get to be a magician?" Mikey yelled excitedly. "Like, magic and stuff?"

"Yes, Mikey," Leo answered. "Master Splinter, the Final Battle is between us and the Dark Inhabitants, like Shikeera. The Foot we found had allowed her to Inhabit him, and his task will be to gather the rest of the Dark Inhabitants."

"Oooookay," Raph groaned. "I'm a vampire?"

"It fits best, Raph, I'm sorry. You could have the werewolf, but Bloodclaw is easiest for me to control because he needs a leader to Inhabit. And the Mage needs an endless source of energy, hence Mikey. The Sorcerer needs a person – or turtle – with good equations knowledge and poison know-how, like Donnie. The vampire needs someone accustomed to working on their own and used to the sight of blood."

"Okay, I get that. But why us?"

"Darkwing Inhabited me because I am half-reptilian and because I have a lot of mental capacity for this sort of thing. The others need little-sunlight, ninja-master hosts who can be close to Darkwing. He runs this whole side of the Battle, you know."

"So, where are these books?" Mikey asked, jumping to his feet. "Can we get 'em now? Please? Pretty please?"

"Sensei?" Leo asked carefully.

"I know a little of what you speak of, Leonardo. Ancient tomes and records tell of Inhibitors-"

Suddenly, Darkwing appeared and roared angrily. "Do not speak of the Accursed Ones!" he bellowed just as Leo cried out in pain from the sudden transformation.

"I apologize, Darkwing-san, for my ignorance."

"I, too, should apologize. I forgot my place in the heat of my anger. Please, I meant no disrespect. Leonardo, are you okay?"

…_Barely. Do that again, and I'll probably Succumb._

"Succumb?" Don asked. "To what?"

"That is a dreaded word for Inhabitants. It means that the host – Leonardo, in this case – will cease to exist. Only my body and mind would remain. I should have been more careful. Leonardo, I'm going to change back. You three might want to catch him."

Raph moved behind the black dragon as he slowly shifted to Leo's turtle form, which collapsed into Raph's arms immediately. His breathing was slow and deep, as if in sleep, but it quickened and he opened his eyes, straightening.

"Sorry," he mumbled, averting his eyes. "Such slow transformations made me very tired. We should go, Master Splinter. Shikeera will not stop for explanations as we have."

"You have my blessing, Leonardo. Go, and bring your brothers back safely."

"I will, Sensei."

_And so will I, if I have the power,_ Darkwing promised, projecting an image of him bowing.

"Thank you. Boys, you may go."

They sprinted out of the layer, hot on Leo's heels as he raced around obstacles only he could see.


	4. Suspicions

"You know, Leo," Raph complained. "You could slow down." They were walking through a long, rank tunnel in the sewers.

"Why? Are you guys getting slower?" Leo teased, his legs pumping at a rate no turtle should be able to withstand. The scales scraped against each other. Raph growled softly; he didn't like being less than Leo was.

"You do have Darkwing's legs right now," Don commented. "And I am absolutely fascinated by this whole thing. The magic in it… it's not scientifically possible, but-" Leo rolled his eyes as Donnie continued muttering equations to himself, trying to figure out how in the world a dragon came to be and how that same dragon Inhabited his brother.

"And it's creeping me out, bro!" Mikey wailed, watching as his brother halted suddenly and sat back on his hind legs. Since that last transformation, he'd had Darkwing's scaly legs and ran on all fours, unbalanced on his usual two. Mikey was pretending happiness for his brother's sake, when he was really very worried. He didn't like the transformations; they made him sick.

"It's not far. Darkwing can sense him," Leo commented, his legs twitching slightly. The black scales clattered together like rainfall, and Don looked up from his calculator, but Raph beat him to the punch.

"So, which one is this?" Raph asked, leaning against a wall of the sewer and breathing carefully. His brother started at the question, which made Raph's eyes narrow. Why was Leo on the edge?

"I… don't know. Darkwing won't tell me." Leo seemed like he was telling the truth, but Raph had his doubts.

"What?!" all three turtles demanded. Leo slowly shifted to Darkwing's form. "Why not?" Mikey asked, averting his eyes and looked down to avoid seeing the transformation and to keep from tripping.

"I will not tell him – or any of you – because it must remain a surprise, Darkwing explained. "Now, may we continue?"

"I think he doesn't know," Raph growled humorously. "I think he's just puttin' on airs." It was a sentence he'd heard a while ago, but hadn't thought of until now. It seemed appropriate, with Darkwing being able to fly and all.

"Am not!" Darkwing argued, walking ahead. "Now, let's keep moving. It is not far. Just another mile." His tail scraped along the floor, emitting a sound a lot like a snake across a bunch of tissue paper. Don filed that away later. He wanted a sample of Darkwing's scale, but he didn't know if Darkwing would allow that.

"Awww! Why can't you teleport like that other one?" Mikey asked. "I haven't eaten in hours! And I'm starving!" Mikey was always starving, even as he was always growing.

"First, Shikeera is the only one of us who can teleport. My power is different. Second, it is a virtue to keep silent, Michelangelo. You may be hungry, but you are not starving." His lecture over, Darkwing shifted slowly back to Leo's form, who was still a little weak from the two consecutive sudden transformations before. Leo smiled tightly, his hands still claws. But at least he didn't have four legs anymore.

"Man, I can't wait for you all to have Inhabitors. Then you'll see what I've gone through." Leo was kind of pissed; they didn't know what he'd been through, what Darkwing was to him.

"Rrrriiiiiggggghhhhhttttttt," Mikey laughed. "Face it, dude. You'll probably be the only one with side effects because _you_ fought it!" Mikey was certain that he'd love his Inhabitor, because who couldn't love being able to do magic.

"You will, too," Leo stubbornly insisted. He started walking quickly down the slimy tunnel they were in, thankfully warm. Darkwing had said that all four Inhabitors were in New York, so they didn't need to look far for any of them.

"Just ahead," Leo said, his voice oddly quiet. Raph looked at him, but he merely smiled and said, a little louder, "It's just so neat. You guys will have to deal with your own mess like I have." Leo grinned maliciously.

_I resent that,_ Darkwing informed them. _I am not a mess. I have helped you in many ways, Leonardo._ Leo grimaced slightly, which made Raph all the more suspicious.

"I know, Darkwing. Don't get your scales in a ruffle." Leo chuckled, probably imagining something that had happened. Leo's claw hands flexed suddenly, then calmed down as Leo reached for a rock, crushing it in one paw.

Raph wasn't so sure about this excursion now. What did Darkwing mean by, "I have helped you in many ways"? He was getting a bad feeling in his stomach. Also, the way Leo was acting… It wasn't like him. Could Darkwing not be what he said he was?

"Hmmmm..." Raph grumbled. Thinking wasn't his strong point, not this kind of thinking. Leo seemed to hear him, though, which unnerved Raphael. After all, he'd just said it under his breath. How could Leo hear that?

"What?" he asked, calmly but flexing his hands again.

"Huh? Oh, just something Master Splinter said to me a while ago. I just remembered it." Leo looked interested, but there was a hint of fear or wariness in his step. He looked like he was just about ready to run into the darkness and leave them. He had insisted on no lights because that might alert any Guardians to their presence, and Darkwing told them that these creatures would suck their soul from them.

"What'd he say?" Leo asked, almost defensively. _That_ was weird; Leo loved their Sensei, even more than he loved himself. To him, father and brothers came before him, who came after everything else, including bushido and honor. Only reputation, glory, and popularity came under Leo himself.

"Something about how the soul knows more than the mind and eyes," Raph answered carefully, weighing Leo's reaction against what he knew of his brother from living and growing up with him. Leo was definitely getting strange by now. His steps were irregular and he was panting slightly.

"Bro, you okay?" Raph inquired, his knees bent in case Leo tried to attack them.

"Huh? Yeah, why?" This, too, was strange. Leo almost never said, "Huh?" like that. He always knew who was talking, why they were doing so, and who they were addressing. He'd only said, "Huh?" once that Raph knew of, and he'd been drugged at the time.

"You seem a little distracted. Are you too tired to do this?" Raph asked casually but with enough worry to make it seem legitimate. Leo knew them as well – or better – than they knew him, and he would see right through a fake tone. He'd be able to tell if Raph was prying into his business.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just a bit sleepy and I can fix that after we pick this one up and get it settled. Then we can move on after I sleep for a while. Whoever gets an Inhabitor will be tired, too, and the other two will need the rest anyway."

Leo never said, "Nah," either. Raph was very suspicious by now, but he knew he didn't stand a chance against Leo/Darkwing if he attacked and it turned out that Leo wasn't himself and would try to destroy Raph. Being the best of them, Leo would probably be able to do it, too.

"Okay. If you're sure. By the way, do we all get books?"

Leo hesitated, and then nodded. "As far as I know."

Raph didn't like his tone, though. He seemed a lot more wary and weary. _Why? What's going on? _Was he really so tired that he had stopped functioning like their Leo?

"It's just ahead," Leo stated calmly, stopping. "Don, you may give us a light now. A small one, mind." _Mind? Since when does Leo talk like a human southerner from fifty years ago?_

"Okay, Leo. Where are we?" Don asked, breaking and shaking a chemical light, bathing them in a sickly green glow. He gave one to Mikey and Raph, who broke and shook their own. Mikey fashioned his into a crown that he wore on his head like a prince would, murmuring complements to himself.

"Under a bank, I think. Let's move." He looked upwards and then at them. "The book's in the vault. We'll need to break in." Leo said this with no mercy, no tone, really. It was flat, but Raph thought he detected a little challenge in it, as if daring them to argue.

"Whoa!" Mikey shouted. "We're not breaking into any bank, dude. We're the _good_ guys!" He flung his halo off his head and held it out, waving it for emphasis.

"And we need the book or else we're dead. Darkwing needs allies in the upcoming war," Leo persisted. Leonardo shifted slightly and looked at them squarely. Raph tensed; he didn't like that look on Leo's face.

"Are you crazy?" Don asked. "We cannot bust into a bank. We'd be seen and hunted down." Don seemed to want to continue, but didn't when Leo turned on him, advancing a step and looking very intimidating.

"Are you ninja or a chicken?" Leo demanded. Don started to get uneasy; Leo didn't usually say that. Mikey, too, looked worried, and Raph looked pissed.

"You can't speak to Donnie that way, Leo," he said sternly. "Is there another way we can get this book? Mikey, stop waving that thing in my face!" Raph slapped his youngest brother over the head and then faced Leo, his posture saying, _Do something, I dare you._

"No. Unless you happen to know J.C. Paterson, and can get his I.D., fingerprints, and appearance," Leo scoffed. "We'll be in and out before anyone knows it."

"My bro, I think we all know Don can do that. Right, Donnie?" Mikey asked. "Let's see what he can do and we can talk about this. I mean, I felt sort of rushed, didn't you? I want to know all about this, so there aren't any surprises."

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" Leo asked, though everybody knew and could tell he was angry with them. But why? He was the one who was always training and talking about bushido and honor. This was the exact opposite.

"How about all this?" Raph asked. "When you first turned into Darkwing."

"Alright. Let's walk back to the lair and we'll talk. Then I can sleep while Donnie gets everything set up." Leo's claws clacking against each other were a sure sign of his agitation or anger. Raph still wasn't sure which. Having barely turned Leo aside, Raph sighed. _What's wrong, bro?_ he asked Leo mentally.

_Nothing._ But the "voice" was pleading and sad.


	5. Debunked

"So…" Leo started, walking down the dank tunnel confidently. "You want to know how I first acquired Darkwing?"

"Yeah," Mikey answered. "Like, what'd it feel like?"

"Well, when I first acquired him, it was very… strange, I suppose. It was a few weeks ago, Monday night…

_Leo ran, his heart pumping. Below, he could hear the screams getting louder as the Purple Dragon set upon another innocent victim. His breath coming in controlled pants, Leo halted at the rooftop's edge, peering into the darkness below. He just made out a faint light… coming from something that was far too flat to be a lantern or flashlight. _

_Crawling down the fire escape in the shadows, Leo got ready to jump onto the Purple Dragon scum below. He looked closer at their victim… who seemed to be one of them. He – or she, he couldn't really tell with many humans – was holding the faint light and screeching like some of Don's in-progress inventions._

"_What the shell?" he whispered to himself. The Purple Dragons were merely watching their comrade, too scared to get close. Leo recognized the glowing thing as a book._

Help me!_ A voice cried out in his head, and Leo somehow knew it was coming from the book. _Don't let me Inhabit this human!

_Though he didn't know why at the time, Leo rushed down heedlessly. Tearing through the crowd, who were too preoccupied to stop him, Leo grabbed the book, slicing the Purple Dragon's throat – mercifully, for he was in a great deal of pain and would have killed himself otherwise. Then, Leo felt himself falling victim to the book. It hurt, his head, his hands, his heart… everything hurt. Carefully, Leo nudged his mind against the book, but the pain exploded._

Just wait,_ a voice commanded. _Accept me as I have accepted you and it will be done without much more pain._ At the time, Leo didn't know who was "talking", but he obeyed the wish, thinking it might be Splinter who was always on the lookout for them on training runs. If they got into trouble, he'd know about it as soon as they did, and send the rest to their location. It was handy, sometimes, to have a Master at mind-speech and mind-linking, though it also made for some trouble when they were teenagers with hormones. Raph got so angry that Splinter had to block his emotions out a few times to avoid having them take over him. Mikey could get so hyper that Splinter would have to close his mind to the youngest as well so he didn't suffer a heart attack. Donnie would become so passive and timid that Splinter couldn't connect to him because the brainiest turtle would close his mind to any and all._

_But Leo was one of the worst. He, as the dominant and oldest, would become so hormone-charged that he would send his brothers scrambling for safety from the pheromones he induced. Once, when caught unaware and in his room, Don had almost succumbed to Leo's turtle half, almost letting himself become overpowered. Splinter shut his eldest son out sometimes because he could not bear to watch as Leo's body and turtle instincts betrayed him._

_But all of those thoughts melted away as he felt himself merge with something that felt dark and scaly. Gasping, Leo lurched to his feet, clutching the book in his hand and defending himself against the Purple Dragons with the other. He escaped to the roof, his head pounding. There… he made the first transformation to his Inhabitant's form._

Here, Leo paused. He looked around as they came into the lair, entering the dojo with the hothead and jester. Don went to his lab. He'd hear this story from his brothers later, he was sure.

"What then?" Mike asked, flopping down on the mats on his plastron. "How was it?"

"Terrible," Leo whispered. "That's all you need to know." He turned and started a kata, but before Raph could ask more, he continued his story.

"I hurt all over for days afterwards. You all noticed, but didn't talk about it. I was thankful. Darkwing told me to tell you all of this, but I didn't want to. What if you rejected me?"

"We would never have done that!" Raph protested. Leo merely arched an eye ridge

"Anyway, I kept up with it for weeks. The coughing fits caught me off guard. Darkwing told me that it was just my body getting used to transforming every night." Mikey gasped. "And I did," Leo affirmed with a nod, blocking an imaginary sword.

"Every night? Why didn't we hear you?"

"I had learned how not to scream," Leo said simply. "It didn't hurt less until a few days ago, and then I was finally able to control it a little more. And, I stopped transforming so much. I guess my body was finally able to accept Darkwing in all his glory." Leo moved on to the most difficult kata he knew, moving through it gracefully and seemingly perfect, though Raph noticed he scowled a few times as though his footing was off a little.

"My sons. I did not expect you back for a while." Master Splinter came in, resulting in the jumping-up of Mike and Raph, who joined Leo in bowing to their Sensei. "Has it been done?"

"No, Sensei," Mikey answered. "The book was in a bank vault. We came back so Don could find out what he can about the holder, a human named J.C. Paterson."

"Ah. Leonardo, very good on our kata."

"Thank you, Sensei," Leo ground out between his teeth. Splinter started as Raph and Mikey stared at him. Leo straightened. "We should get going soon."

"Sit, my son," Splinter ordered. "Raphael, Michelangelo, please fetch your brother Donatello."

Leo looked like he was going to argue, but he sat on the mat carefully, his knees folded under him. Raph ran and got Don, telling him that something was up with Leo. They came into the dojo to see Splinter facing Leo, kneeling in a meditation pose. Mikey was kneeling behind him and to the side; Raph and Don joined their young brother.

"What's going on?" Raph asked.

Mikey made a _silence_ sign and then reached for their minds. _Master Splinter is searching Leo's mind. He thinks that Darkwing is not as he seems. Lend him your strength; it seems that Leo is rejecting him. I do not know who will win; it is too close to call. Please save your questions for later, and be ready for anything. Leo may attack us._

Raph snorted but felt a spark of fear. He'd seen Fearless at work, in katas and against Purple Dragons. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of a real battle with his brother, especially as the eldest could have scales harder than diamond at command, and could probably tear them apart with his claws alone.

He heard a growl come from Leo and snapped his head up in time to see Leo's body changing, growing scales but staying in turtle form. He slapped Don's shoulder and jumped to his feet just in time to grab Leo as the other turtle sprang forward for Master Splinter.

"Hold him down!" Master Splinter commanded, snapping out of his trance immediately. Mikey and Donnie helped Raph, grabbing a couple strong chains and wrapping them around Leo's arms as Raph held them behind Fearless Leader's shell.

"Calm down, bro!" Mikey called, pushing on a pressure point in Leo's knee. Both his legs collapsed and he sank to his knees quickly, his beak in a snarl as he struggled against his brothers.

"We're doing this for your own good," Don insisted, grunting as he tried to push Leo onto his plastron, but the larger turtle wasn't going easily. Raph, the biggest and strongest of them all, snorted at Don's tries and sat on Leo's shell. Leo fell to the mats and grunted on impact.

_Help!!_

They all heard Leo's voice, colored with panic, and knew their suspicions were correct. Darkwing was controlling Leo, or something evil was controlling both of them.

"Shit…" Raph cursed. "Now what?" Everyone turned to Master Splinter.

"Now… we rip Darkwing from his mind."


	6. Rescue and Transformation

"Master Splinter?" Raph asked, still sitting on Leo's thrashing form. "How're we gonna do that?"

"I must meditate on this. It has been long since I have removed something as sinister as this from such a powerful mind, and I am forgetting much in my old age. Remain here and keep Leonardo under control at all times. Remember, he is no longer your brother and will take any chance to attack you."

"Hai, Sensei," Don answered, bowing. The rat walked slowly out, using his walking stick a little too much for Donnie's liking. "Poor Master Splinter. He's getting old." It had never really hit him that Master Splinter would actually leave them one day.

Leo – or his body, anyway – suddenly stilled.

"Guys?" a timid voice from beneath Raph asked. Mike took out his 'chucks, hoping it was a trick. "What's going on? Why are you sitting on me, Raph?"

"Ha ha ha. Listen to the demon who's taken over my brother. Nice try, but we're ninjas. It ain't gonna work." Raph shifted slightly to pin Leo's knees down with his hands. "Don't try anything funny."

"No, I'm serious. What's going on?"

"It… sounds like Leo," Don offered. "Maybe Darkwing gave up his grip?"

"Donnie," Mikey whined. "It's Leo, I betcha. Raph, get offa him. He won't hurt us!"

"I doubt it, Mikey," Raph answered. "Darkwing's probably playing a trick. As soon as I get offa him, Leo's body will attack. That's just it, plain and simple. We wait for Master Splinter to get done studyin' and then see what we can do to help him."

"I have meditated, my sons," Master Splinter's old voice told him. "Raphael, please restrain your brother. Donatello, please fetch us some heavy tranquilizers. Michelangelo, please help me once more. Lend me your strength and we shall rid your brother and leader of Darkwing's influence."

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey answered, bowing. He knelt behind Splinter, slipping into a trance carefully and slowly. Besides Splinter and Leo, no one could sit down and meditate right on the spot. They needed time to settle and calm their thoughts.

Raph adjusted his grip on Leo's hands, pinning them firmly against his shell, and let his weight keep the eldest's plastron pressed against the mats. Soon, Don came back in with the drugs, shooting one of the blue and red needles into Leo's arms as Raph applied pressure to a point that rendered the blue turtle's shoulder immobile.

Raph's red bandana swayed as Leo rocked a little, and then went limp with a slight smile. Donnie nodded and put the needles – their tips covered – in his belt and sat on Leo's legs carefully, in case Leo was tricking them.

Splinter frowned as he meditated, and Raph lent him some strength from his innumerous store, which was fueled mainly by his anger and hate. Mikey was shaking his head slowly, as if to tell someone only he could hear that they were lying. Mikey had a habit of doing that.

Suddenly, Leo's body shrieked in anger, his eyes open and staring at Master Splinter. Raph pushed on a pressure point to render the turtle immobile, and Master Splinter frowned deeper, trying to concentrate harder. He gasped and snarled once, a noise that Raph knew meant he was beyond furious. Leo winced a few times, then laughed happily.

"I have removed the evil presence, my sons," Master Splinter said tiredly. "But you must keep an eye on Leonardo. He will be tired for many days."

"Why don't we see somethin', Master Splintah?" Raph asked, his Brooklyn accent coming forward predominantly like it did when he was concerned or worried. He slowly stood up, lending their hardly-conscious elder brother a hand to his feet. Leo leaned against Raph, his eyes closed in sheer exhaustion.

"Because I left Leonardo in charge of the Inhabitant. Now, Leonardo may choose when to transform. He is the master of that mind, now," Master Splinter explained, standing stiffly. Don leapt to his rescue, helping Master Splinter into his room. Then, the brainiac woke Mikey, who had fallen asleep despite everything, and they got Leo into the sick bay.

Their elder brother was pale and shaking when Don checked his pulse. Raph took his katanas, shruiken, and pads to the table next to the bed Leo was lying on comfortably. Mikey was sitting on another, watching his older brothers apprehensively. Don went over Leo carefully, looking for bruising or bleeding in case Leo was hurt.

"Look at this," Don suddenly whispered. _Why am I whispering?_ Don wondered to himself.

"What?" asked Mikey, peering at Leo's shell. Don had turned Leo over with help from Raph. It was normal, to Mikey's eyes. He had all th plates, and it wasn't chipped or cut.

"Right here," Don said, pointing. Mikey looked closely and gasped. It was something writing on his shell. Tiny letters, though.

"There's more over here," Raph exclaimed, picking up Leo's leg. Indeed, there was writing all over Leo that was slowly appearing.

"It's all over him," Don breathed, tracing around Leo's shell. "Let me get my magnifying glass."

"Don't bother," a hoarse voice chuckled.

"Leo!" Mikey shouted, hugging his brother as best he could.

"Ow!" Leo groaned suddenly, flipping back onto his shell and standing. Don pushed his back down.

"Hey, no getting up until I say you can!" he admonished.

"Sorry?" Leo offered. "Are you guys okay?"

Raph looked at Don. Who looked at Mikey. Who looked at Raph again. Then they all stared at Leo.

"What?"

"Welcome back, bro!" Mikey yelled, hugging Leo fiercely. However, he backed off guiltily when Leo hissed in pain. Don moved in, taking Leo's arm. The writing was glowing bright black, standing out very well against Leo's skin. Raph stared at Leo's head and Leo caught him.

"What?" Leo asked again, raising a hand to his head. Mikey looked at it, too, and backed away slowly. Don's eyeridges snapped together and he pulled Leo's hand away.

There, growing out of Leo's head, were a pair of black, wickedly-sharp horns. He looked at his hands. They were growing claws, too, and his shell started itching.

"What's going on?" he asked, staring at his hands.

"I… I don't know," Don admitted, rolling Leo onto his plastron again. "Hold still. You've got a pair of wings growing in back here."

"Wings?" Leo asked, wincing again. His throat hurt, and he coughed. His pillow caught fire.

"Aaah!" Mikey screamed in a high-pitched voice, dousing Leo's head and the pillow with water from the sink as soon as he had filled a small bucket.

"Don…" Leo started, then coughed again. Everyone now saw the flicker of flame that left his mouth.

"Shut up, Leo," Raph said. "You do that again, and you'll light something else on fire."

Leo nodded and then closed his eyes. Raph looked at his shell. Wings were shifting restlessly as they grew in, and Raph could see the bones growing from his shoulder blades into the wings. It looked very painful, but Leo wasn't showing it. _Typical Fearless Leader, _Raph thought, putting his hand on Leo's arm. It was hard under his touch.

"Hey, Don, he's growing scales and stuff down here," Raph told his brother, amazingly calm. Mikey laughed as he touched Leo's feet.

"Yeah," Don mumbled. He was examining the wings and had a shot in his hand.

"What's that?" Mikey asked.

"Pain killers," Don murmured, preoccupied with the wings on Leo's shell. With a crack, the shell suddenly split a little and the wings fanned. Don studied the muscles as they bunched. It was amazing; the shoulder blades and arm strength were unaffected, but Leo's wings looked big enough – and strong enough – to carry him. Leo grunted as Don touched them.

"Leo, can you sit up for me?" Don asked, signaling for Raph to help Leo. Shaking a little, Leo rolled over and sat up in one motion. His wings were folded tightly against his shell. "How do you feel?"

"Like shell," Leo whispered, his voice hoarse and deeper than it had been before. He opened his eyes and looked at them, and Don got his billionth surprise. Leo's pupils were slits and bright red. Their brother closed them quickly.

"Can someone get the light out of my face?" he asked politely.

"Uh, Leo, there's no light in your face. Just the normal room lights are on," Mikey alleged.

"Don…" Leo looked pup, but kept his eyes shut. "What's going on with me?"

Don felt everyone's eyes on his. He was supposed to know everything. But he didn't. Why not? Well, he was an engineer, not a doctor or biologist. But he had to guess. He knew more about this than did anyone else.

"Um… Considering we're about twenty years old and so should not mutate or grow any more, I'd say you're going through something unnatural. When Master Splinter saved you from that evil Inhabitant, he said he left it in you so you could choose when to change into Darkwing and when not to. When Darkwing was controlling you, he said that your body took on attributes sometimes because your brain was trying to adjust to what was happening in your mind."

"In short," Mikey added, "you're kinda growing parts of a dragon."

Leo groaned and shook his head, fanning his wings.


	7. Meditation and Retraining

"So…" Leo started. "I'm becoming a… dragon."

"Yeah," Don said quietly, taking out a measuring tape. "Can you stretch… your wings for me?"

"Um, I think so." Leo concentrated and his wings snapped open, clipping Raph in the chin. "Sorry."

"Those are huge!" Mikey squealed. "Dude, can ya fly?"

"How should he know, Rock-for-Brains?" Raph growled, rubbing his chin. "They pack a punch, though."

"Aw, is poor wittle Wraphie hurt?" Mikey baby-cooed. "Does poor wittle Wraphie need a kiss for his boo boo?"

"You come near me and I'll give your kisser my knuckles!" Raph turned away, looking at Don and Leo. Leo was shifting, his eyes still tightly closed against the light. Don was muttering to himself complex equations, talking about lift and proportionate something.

"Ya hungry, Leo?" Raph asked, not knowing what to expect.

"A little." That was Leo's "I'm starving" saying. Mikey hopped up and rushed out to prepare food. "Don, do you have something for my eyes? I can't open them without a lot of pain."

"Sure. Raph, go grab a spare blue bandana and some black mesh cloth from my cupboard, right drawer, lower left quadrant. Then grab some sewing stuff and stitch something for Leo's eyes. Got it?" Don inquired, peering at Raphael.

"Sure thing, Donny." Raph left quietly, his ninja training meaning he didn't make a sound on the ground. They could all walk through a forest without having a leaf stir in their wake, though Leo was the best of all of them. It had been that way ever since… well, ever since he was given the title of leader by their Sensei.

Raph still didn't like that. He was better fit for the role. Anger and hate were only a cover-up. His emotions ran far deeper; he had known since they were able to think consciously that he would lead them. He was top turtle when they were young. Even Leo deferred to him. But now… Leo was in charge.

_Maybe not,_ Raph thought. _If this change is more than physical, Leo could be demoted to second in command. _My_ second in command. That would be nice._

However, he knew that until then, he'd have to work with Don and Mikey to help Leo through the first stages. Gathering the supplies, Raph sat down with the thread deftly pulled through the tiny hole in the needle. _Funny,_ he thought as he sewed the black patches on one of Leo's spare bandanas. _We all know how to sew._

It was a necessity, however. Each brother might tear something in their mask or pads and must be able to fix it themselves, because Splinter and Donny didn't have time to do such menial tasks. Also, each one could suture, though Donny was trusted with everything above a very minor wound. In the sewers, anything could be infected really easily.

Finally, he was done. Tucking everything back where it came from, Raph walked back to the room to find Leo still sitting, though restlessly. Beside him sat a bowl that had been filled with noodles, the chopsticks Leo nearly always ate with resting gently on top of the rim. 

"Here ya go," Raph said gruffly. "Though I think you're just fakin' it," he added for good measure. Truth be told, he was worried. Very worried. What, is anything, is the truth of the Inhabitors.

Leo thanked him and put the mask on over his shut eyes. Turning out the lights, Raph asked, "Can ya see?"

"Perfectly!" Leo said, looking around. Raph flicked on the light with a warning for his brother, but Leo merely shook his head once. "I can still see. They work great, Raph, thanks!"

"I just sewed it on. It was Donny's idea."

"Speaking of Don, where is he?" Leo asked. "Isn't it about time for training?"

"You're not training yet, Leo," Don's voice called from the hallway. He came in with a curious machine in one hand. Raph noticed that other similar mechanics were sitting on the bed beside his big brother.

"I feel fine, Donny," Leo argued with a hint of whine in his voice. Raph grinned; Leo trained enough that he wouldn't be missing anything in tonight's practice. But typical Fearless Leader had to argue. He never missed practice unless he couldn't possibly get out of bed or stand on both feet.

"But we don't know what you can do. With the weight of your wings, you'll have to re-compensate, learn everything all over again. Even how to walk, probably." Noticing Leo's look, Raph smiled and decided to add his two cents.

"Besides, ya can't just get up and kick butt after growing some wings. And a tail," he added, seeing the black appendage. "I bet you couldn't beat Mikey now."

"Wanna see me?" Leo challenged, standing up carefully. His tail swung to balance him and Don watched apprehensively. "See? I can stand."

"Let me see how you do walking to the dojo and we'll talk," Don allowed, shooting Raph a venomous look. 

"What?" asked the red-loving turtle.

Leo took a step forward slowly, his tail swinging to keep him balanced. Wings folded tightly against his back, the blue-loving turtle headed for the dojo, stepping carefully and precisely. The stairs presented little difficulty, though Don and Raph were ready to catch him at any time with half a moment's notice.

"My son," an old voice said in greeting. "It is good to see you up and about. Will you be joining us for practice this evening?"

"If I may, Master Splinter," Leo answered, bowing. His wings opened suddenly and he fell to the ground, too startled to break his fall. Don was kneeling by his side immediately, Raph as well, but he was fine. A little confused, but fine.

"Will they do that every time I bow?" Leo asked himself, pushing himself up to his feet again. "My apologies, Sensei. I have not gotten the hang of using my new… limbs."

"That will take time," Master Splinter agreed. "However, until you can move with your new body as well as you did with your regular one, you are forbidden from practicing with your brothers."

"But Sensei-"

"Leonardo, you must gain control of yourself before you may practice ninjitsu. That was the first lesson I taught you. Have you forgotten such a vital key to being a ninja?"

"No… Sensei. I apologize for speaking out so rashly. May I continue and watch the practice? I will only come to know this body better after I have used it much."

"Very well, Leonardo. And perhaps I can assist with your re-learning."

"I would be honored, Sensei," Leo acknowledged, bowing profusely. This time, his wings stayed tight to his back, though they shuffled slightly. His tail flickered, too, and his scales rattled very quietly.

"I sense you are displeased," Master Splinter said humorously.

"What gave it away?" Raph murmured, heading to the dojo to warm up and stretch. Don followed with Leo and Master Splinter coming right after him. Leo still went slowly, but was a little more confidant.

"My sons, please do the Rolling Wave kata," Master Splinter ordered his three younger adopted children. "It is the symbol of balance and focus," he lectured as Raph, Mikey, and Don struck the proper positions in perfect timing and order. This was one from their earlier years.

Leonardo sat on the sidelines sadly, meditating. He could feel his brothers and Master Splinter's strong _chi_. Leaning his head back a little, Leonardo concentrated on connecting to his inner spirit. His awareness of other _chi_ swamped him, and he worked on sorting such inner emotions from his brothers and Master Splinter. 

Donny was feeling excited. Leo did not have to delve deep to know why. Here was one of his brothers, going through a scientifically-impossible mutation. He'd be able to study the effects and downfalls of mutation, plus get a look at his cells as they multiplied into anomalies. 

Raph was angry and energized. His brother was angry that Leo got all the attention, and excited because Raph could very easily see the effects becoming more than Leo could handle, causing him to lose focus. Then, Master Splinter would appoint Raphael as head turtle. Though he would do well, Leo was not sure Raph could handle the responsibility.

Mikey was hyper… as always. He was excited because his big brother was becoming a half-dragon/half-turtle thing. Leo knew his little brother would find ways to tease and prank him, it was his nature. Also, Mikey may now be able to cook meat, which repulsed the rest of them. However, Leo knew that he was not wholly turtle and would probably get cravings for meat or something other than grains and veggies and fruit.

Master Splinter was calm, like usual. He was confidant that Leonardo could control his new body easily, but was willing to appoint Raph as leader if his eldest could not take two big responsibilities at a time.

"Leonardo," Master Splinter called. Leo stood up carefully and bowed. 

"Yes, Sensei?"

"We are finished for now. Your brothers and I have agreed that, to help you in this new body, they will accompany you through the earliest katas and teachings I instructed you four in."

"Thank you, Sensei. And you all, brothers. I am grateful you would spend your valuable time with me," Leo acknowledged, bowing to all four.

"Very well. Let us begin." Leo joined his brothers as Master Splinter got out the poles they used to balance training. "We will start with the balance exercises. I have noticed that your new wings and tail are throwing your center off erratically."

"_Hai, _Sensei." Mikey laughed as Leo spread his wings a little and looked over his shoulder at them. Then, Mikey squealed when he felt Leo's tail slap him in the back of the head.

"Hey! No one told me you could do that!" Mike whined. 

"No one had to," Raph answered. "This was much more entertaining."

"My sons. Let us begin."


	8. Plans

Leo stepped up as the first volunteer to stand on the slightly-wider-than-normal poles

Leo stepped up as the first volunteer to stand on the slightly-wider-than-normal poles. Raph and Don waited by the edges, ready to catch him should the need arise.

"Leonardo, stand on this pole for as long as you can," Master Splinter ordered. "While doing so, move your arms in a simple kata. I leave it to you to decide which one you choose."

"Go Leo!" Michelangelo cried happily. Don and Raph stood underneath Leo's steady form, waiting for him to fall so they could catch him.

Leo centered his balance and prepared to move his arms slowly. He felt right at home balanced on this little ledge. Moving his arms faster and faster, Leo went through a few simple katas, never once loosing his balance. His tail swung to make sure of that, and his wings helped like they had a mind of their own.

"Very good," Master Splinter interrupted. "Now, continue, but change your feet positions from time to time."

"Yes, Sensei." Leo did as he was told, easily staying on the pole. Don and Raph stood back to admire their big brother, who did ninjitsu like a ballerina did ballet. He was very graceful, always precise, and never hasty.

If Master Splinter allowed it, and they were human, he would be considered a full rank ninja in Japan. However, they were in New York, USA and were not human but turtles.

"Very good, Leonardo." Master Splinter motioned for him to jump down, which he did easily. His wings half-opened, slowing his fall dramatically. As a result, he was unprepared when he finally landed and stumbled to regain his balance.

"Master Splinter," Don said, helping Leo stand straight as he inspected his wings, "may we go to Casey's farm? There's lots of stuff to do up there, and Leo can recover and rebalance himself in the trees. Plus, he can jump off of the branches and see if he can glide or even fly!"

"Hmm. I will consider this." With that, Master Splinter left the dojo. Leo flexed his wings, stretching the webbing out with a conscious effort.

"Mikey," Raph growled. "Go get some brunch on."

"What do we want?"

"Pizza," Don and Raph said immediately. Leo nodded, popping his neck and sighing.

"Leo, can you stretch out your wings for me once more?" Don asked, getting out a tape measure. The forest-green turtle nodded and extended both out as far as they would go, holding onto the base of the pillar for support.

"Hm…" Don ran and got a tap measure as Raph inspected Leo's wings for tears or strains.

"There are huge, Leo," he confided quietly, running his hands over the top of the "forearm" wing bones. "And oily."

"Of course," Don answered, coming in with his magnifier and tape measure. "Bird wings have little oil sacks at the tips of their primary feathers. You just popped one. Birds use their beaks to collect the oil and spread it throughout their wings. I'm guessing dragons do the same. Except that they don't have beaks." He kept rambling on, taking measurements of Leo's wings and moving them around to test their flexibility.

"You know," Don drawled. "These are large enough, by my calculations, to lift both you and another being of approximately two hundred pounds or less without much effort."

"So… I could fly?"

"They are built to, but I am not a hundred percent sure. At the least, you could probably glide."

"Well, let's check it out," Mikey exclaimed. "After we eat. I'm hungry."

"What'd ya make?" Raph asked, pushing Leo's wings shut with him. They were still a little too big for Leo to close by himself without the muscles he still had to build up.

"Your wings measure a wingspan of about fifteen feet. They, when folded, are only three feet across. When folded, they measure five feet from tip to tail. When extended, that goes down to approximately two and a half feet from tip to bottom feather tip," Don rattled off, writing down the measurements.

"Wow," Leo whistled. Mikey gawked and then stood by Leo's side, helping their elder through the door and to sit in one of the chairs.

_Crack!_

Leo was soon spilled ungracefully onto the floor. His wings, apparently, had been too much weight for the chair. Mikey howled in laughter, nearly throwing up his previously-consumed breakfast.

Don and Raph just helped a blushing Leonardo to his feet and then got an armchair from the living room for the blue-banded turtle.

"Hmm….." Don muttered to himself all through lunch, occasionally glancing at Leo. Raph and Mikey traded banter, and Leo ate quietly, still embarrassed about the chair mishap.

"Did not!" Mikey suddenly yelled, putting his fist down on the table.

"Did too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"What is the matter, Raphael, Michelangelo?" The rat sensei walked in then, admonishing his sons.

"Raph said I should grow a pair of wings like Leo and fly off," Mikey whined. "And then I told him that I couldn't, I didn't have an Inhabitant. Then he said that I had taken part of his pizza while he wasn't looking."

"He did," Raph grumped.

"Did not!" Mikey cried sheepishly.

"Did too!" Raph insisted.

"My sons, this is a trivial matter. Donatello, I have obtained permission from Mr. Jones. He said we may drive up to the old farm any time we wish, but he warns that it is still slightly chilly."

"Thank you, Sensei. May we leave tomorrow?"

"If Leonardo can make such a trip, we may. I expect you all to pack for a month at the old farm. There is no telling when we will come home. And Leonardo, please help Donatello pack for some strength-building exercises for your wings. I realize they are too massive for your shoulder muscles to pull in."

"_Hai_, Sensei," all four turtles, murmured. Their father and mentor nodded warmly and walked back out of the dining room.

"We're going to the farm tomorrow, right?" Mikey asked, dancing in excitement.

"Yeah, Mikey," Raph answered, holding Leo's wing closed as it tried to hit him over the chair. After his workout, Leo was still tired and his wings were not staying closed.

"I'll get something to tie those to your back, Leo. Hold on a minute." Leo nodded to Don and put a hand on his leathery, bat-like appendages. They were sore and his shell has cracked to allow them through, but it had stopped bleeding and was just in need of a grinding down a bit.

"So, will you learn how to fly?" Mikey asked childishly. "And will you take me with you?"

"Sure, Mikey," Leo answered, putting his hand on the bone covered in thick skin, running it down the length what he could reach on the membrane. The oil from the "pimples" soaked in and eased the stiffness. Continuing the "combing", Leo felt the tired and flaky membrane soften and soothe itself with the oil.

"Mmmm," he unconsciously murmured.

"What?" Mikey asked, bouncy as ever.

"This oil stuff on the arms of my wings is really nice when I rub it into the skin of the wing," Leo explained, looking at Mike and Raph. They were smiling at him humorously.

"Well, we can help. I've got cooking spray!" Mikey yelped, running of out Leo's reach as the turtle grabbed for him.

"_No_ cooking spray," Don's voice admonished. "Natural oils only. Mike, you can help Leo groom his wings after breakfast. I've read a little on mythical dragons and a uniform idea is that their wings must be kept oiled or they will flake and tear." Coming in now, the turtle had a belt in his arms that was just big enough to fit around Leo's enormous wings and keep them pinned to his back.

"That's too big a job for one turtle," Mikey protested.

"Don't worry, lamebrain," Raph sneered. "You've got the energy."

"Raph," Don stated, "you and I will help as well. Mikey's right; it is too big a job for two turtles. And Leo can't reach most of his wing span. So, after breakfast, we'll experiment with this." He finished buckling the belt and adjusting the wings to make sure they didn't rub or tear on the rough material. "Also, we'll try to figure out something a little better than this belt."

"Hopefully, I can grow the muscles needed to pull them in and keep them there," Leo rumbled, hanging onto Raph's shoulders for support as Don pushed and prodded the two-hundred-pound wings. He was very tired right now; working with his wings was hard.

"Is everyone done?" Raph asked, glaring at Mike, who was just opening his mouth for another piece of pizza, his eighth, actually.

"Eeep," Mikey agreed putting it down and standing up, gathering the dishes. "Let me just rinse these."

"Alright. Meet us in the living room when you're done," Don ordered, helping Leo stand. Raph held his other shoulder, lending silent support. They made their slow way out into the gaming/living room and left their brother leaning against a wall while they moved furniture out of the way.

"Here ya go, Fearless," Raph grunted, helping Don shove the couch of the their way. Leo plodded over to them as Mikey came in from the kitchen, drying his hands.

Stiffly, Leo sat on the floor between his brothers. Raphael and Michelangelo held the forearm bones of his wings and Don unstrapped the belt. Carefully, the red- and orange-loving turtles pulled his wings out straight. Each one was a hundred pounds, and both panted as they set them down on the cement floor.

A thump announced that Leo had fallen backwards, pulled by the wings. Don helped him lie on his plastron, a pillow under each wing joint so they weren't pulled downwards unnecessarily.

"Let's get to work. Leo, tell us if we hurt you" Don commanded, producing a soft cloth from his "Bag O' Rags" as Mike dubbed it. He handed two to Raph, and another pair to their youngest. With care, they all set to pulling the oil from the wells on the tops of the wings and wiping it liberally on the membrane.


	9. Purring and a Diary

"Wow," Don whistled, staring at the oil on his cloth. "Look at that. Natural excess oil. You're amazing."

Everyone knew he was talking to his cloth filled with oil. Leo cleared his throat and Don guiltily continued rubbing the soothing oil in slow circles on the membrane. Pushing his other cloth on the top of the wing to collect more oil, Don used both hands to rub the oil in carefully, observing how the webbing looked brighter and healthier with the oil in it.

Suddenly, they all paused. Something had rumbled, and it didn't sound like an earthquake.

_Rrrrrrrrrr_.

There is was again! Don looked at Raph, who glanced at Mikey to make sure it wasn't their joking sibling. Mikey was just as appalled, but then a grin crept on his beak. He signed for silence and walked silently to Leo's head, bending down to put his ear-hole next to the leader's chest.

His grin split even wider. "He's _purring!_" Mikey squealed, laughing uproariously.

"W-what?" Don stammered. "We don't have that capacity," he argued, coming around to Leo's shoulders with Raph close behind. Sure enough, their sleeping brother's chest was vibrating and the rumbling emitted from it.

"Absolutely amazing!" Donnie crowed, waking Leo up in the process.

"What?" Leo asked, blinking. Mikey was still howling hysterically and Raph was trying to hold his chuckles to a minimum.

"Who wants to tell him?" Raph asked smoothly, peering at Mikey.

"L-Leo… y-you… y-you w-w-were… p-p-p-purr-rr-rr-ing!" Mikey managed to get out between fits of laughter.

"I was what-ing?"

"Purring," Raph exclaimed. "You were going like a motor boat."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We're not done, though. Mikey, snap outta it and help Donnie and me get this done. Or do you want me to kick your tail from here to the other end of the sewers?"

"Eeep." Mikey, still giggling, went to his side of Leo's right wing and continued oiling it gently, though listening for when his hero and brother started purring.

He wasn't disappointed, either. Leo fell asleep again and his body purred until it shook slightly. The three younger turtles shared a glance and a smile before setting to work again. All of them could tell Leonardo was being pushed beyond even his endurance; he would never fall asleep otherwise.

Raph smiled, remembering when Leo was tossed through April's window into her apartment. He was so broken and battered… the smile melted. Leo had slept for a week afterwards waking only occasionally. Raph had helped him, encouraging their injured brother to make himself a pair of katanas so he would feel whole again.

Don examined the oil, wondering why Leo had grown such large wings. His body would be able to fly with something half the size of these behemoths. Would his body grow to accommodate them? Don sighed; he hated not knowing what was going to happen. Well, he'd better read some books on dragons and caretaking of them, even if they were just a myth. _Or were,_ he chuckled to himself.

Mikey was humming a song while he spread the oil over Leo's wings. It was kind of gross, but Mikey knew that he owed Leo a lot. Their eldest was always there for them, standing in for the blow or just being there to collapse on and let all their worries out for him to soothe away.

Master Splinter came into the living room to see the three brothers just finishing an hour after they began, putting the cloths in the sink and folding Leonardo's wings gently closed. Each looked tired, but more mentally and emotionally than physically.

Donatello and Raphael sat Leonardo up, the eldest just waking, as Michelangelo strapped his wings to his back.

"How's that feel?" Donatello asked compassionately, helping the blue-wearing turtle stand up on tired feet.

"Great," Leonardo mumbled. Splinter grimaced inside. The eldest was wearing out; he had talked to their master about taking a break, letting Raph take over for a few days to let the current leader have a chance to meditate and recover from his recent injuries at the hands of the Shredder and the Foot Clan.

"Let's get you to bed," Raphael suggested, showing his rarely-seen sensitive side. Michelangelo didn't comment but helped his brother lie down on the couch. The smartest turtle put a hand on Leonardo's wings and sat with him for a while, even after the eldest had fallen into a deep slumber.

"My sons," Splinter spoke, commanding the attention of the turtles. Leonardo didn't even stir, which was a worrying sign. If someone merely breathed near him, he would at least become more alert. Donatello noticed as well, and looked apprehensive. "We will leave early tomorrow. Let Leonardo rest. Michelangelo, you and Raphael will oversee the packing of Leonardo's katanas and gear, plus your own. Donatello, you will gather anything you think you may need to help your brother grow in strength and ability until he can care for himself and his wings without needed your help all the time." The purple-banded turtle looked ready to argue, but was silenced when Splinter held up a hand. "Raphael and Michelangelo, you will also help Donatello if he needs it. Also, pack enough food for many weeks. Leonardo will need more food than is usual for him."

"Not that he eats much anyway," Raphael grumbled. "We will, Sensei. May we begin?"

"Certainly. I will stay with Leonardo. I have all I need for our trip. Be sure to pack heavy clothing in case we need it. The farm is not what it once was."

"_Hai_, Sensei," Donatello agreed, standing and walking swiftly out of the room.

Raph went immediately to Leo's room with Mikey in tow. Swinging open the heavy door, Raph couldn't help but shudder. Leo's room was neat and tidy. Nothing but strategy and tactic books lined two of the walls, the third and fourth filled with a futon – a mattress on the floor in a Japanese style – and displays of katanas and ninjitsu weapons.

"I never noticed before."

Raph looked at his younger brother with astonishment. Mikey was staring at the room.

"He's… always been there for us," Mike explained, voice unusually solemn. "His life revolves around us. He's always there in case something goes wrong. Ninjitsu… it's more than a survival tactic. It's a way for him to protect us, to put himself on the line so we can be sane. He's always the one to take the blow. Leo's… he does so much. But I've never noticed before."

Raph was struck dumb. Now that Mike mentioned it, Raph realized that he was right.

"He gave his soul so we could keep ours. And Leo doesn't know what it's like to be his own person. He's always living to please Master Splinter, keep me from killing myself on my late-night runs. He will do anything with you when Don and I are too busy or just don't wanna. And he listens to Don, which is more than I do. Boy, we're really blind, aren't we?" Raph asked Mikey, stepping into the room.

"What do we do? We can't let him keep doing this to himself. He'll wear out eventually." Raph spied a book on the desk next to Leo's plain futon and picked it up. It fell open to a page. "What?"

"It's… a diary," Raph gasped, shutting it quickly. He had just caught a glimpse of Leo's neat handwriting drawn on the page.

"Well, read it. Leo wouldn't leave it there unless he meant to. Maybe there's something in there that can help us get this burden he put on himself off of him." Mikey and Raph sat on the meditating mats next to the futon.

"Here's the first one he wrote," Raph introduced.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today, I decided that keeping a journal could be very beneficial. Sensei says that the best leaders keep records so they can look over them when they make a mistake, and see where that mistake was. Master Splinter told me that I was to be the leader of my brothers today. I will need to keep this in case I make a mistake. It will be a tribute to my brothers if nothing else, and if they are reading this, that means I am probably dead._

_That doesn't bother me, though. If I die so they may live, that is the best sacrifice. My soul was forfeit the minute I was hatched. I have always been the stick in the mud because I care so much for them. _

_You don't know about them, do you? Well, I'll tell you._

_I'll start with Raphael. He's my best friend. We get along really well, though we have very little in common except that we're both stubborn. But Raph is different in that he keeps everything bottled inside until he has to lash out at the nearest thing. Last week, I remember, he was angry because he had gotten in trouble for skipping dish washing. I did it for him, but somehow Master Splinter found out. Instead of scolding me, as he should have because I had done something Raph was supposed to, he was angry with Raphael. Why? Raph was just having fun. I'm here and training to be a better leader so he can be himself. If Master Splinter doesn't like that, then why'd he name me leader?_

_Michelangelo is next. He's the goofball, silly turtle. He's the light in this family, the brightness that keeps our hearts happy. I love him so much… I can't even put it into thoughts, much less words! He's always ready to lighten the mood. His light-hearted jokes are just the thing to calm Raphael down when he's ready to kill something. Mikey puts himself in danger to keep Raph cool; he's the only one with that gift. I can stem the tide, but Mikey pulls it out until nothing is left in the ocean of emotions that is our hotheaded brother. I remember the event of last week that has changed Mikey a little. He was coloring very happily. I was watching him, though I knew I had to tell him about his share of the chores. Instead, I just let him play. He's so young at heart and innocent I couldn't bring myself to stop his merriment. So I did his chores all that week. And when his coloring book was finished with, each coloring bright and merry, I was sad. Probably more sad than he was, because he had had fun with the crayons and colored pencils. So, I gave him mine, so that I could still see that youthful child. Master Splinter was angry at Mikey for shirking on his chores. When I tried to intervene, Master Splinter told me that Mikey had to learn how to own up to his responsibilities. I couldn't understand it. Why would the youngest of all of us have to do his own work? I would gladly do it to preserve his childishness._

_Donatello is the smartest of us. He was the one who first spoke and walked on two legs instead of four. When he says something, it just blows over me. I can't blame him, though. He's doing what he loves. I like to watch him study because he can be so calm and excited all at once. A few months ago, I gave him a text book I found in a college dumpster. It was brand new, and had all kinds of information I was sure Donnie didn't know. The look on his face was incredible… I can't wait to get him another, as soon as I can find one in good condition. I've also been helping with his chores because he will probably need to study a lot to take care of the family in terms of medical needs in the future. Master Splinter is not young anymore, he told me so himself. And living in the sewers is dangerous. I don't have the know-how to do complex healing things, but Don does. Will he grow up to be the doctor of the family? Judging by what he is reading – and the rate of it! – he will be an overall braniac. I love him so much, though. He can't possibly change for the better; this personality suits him._

_And me? Well, I'm not important. I died when Master Splinter named me leader. I died when Raph shook from jealousy. I died when Mikey stopped begging me to play with him because I was the "Almighty One". I died when Donnie stopped explaining everything he knew to me. I died… and I will not come back. My soul has been taken by the Ninja God. I offered it to him a month back, when I was meditating. Master Splinter was resting, so I felt safe to do this. I found Him and made a deal. My soul will forever be his, and should I be dishonorable, I will be taken. In return, he will make sure I die physically instead of my brothers. I have done this because I love them very much. If they are reading this, I am probably dead. If so, you now know why._

Raph just looked at Mikey, who was crying profusely. Dropping the diary, Raph gathered the orange-wearing turtle into his arms and let the tears from both of them run down his plastron.


	10. A Journey to the Farm

Raph stirred first, his cheeks stiff from dried tears. He wasn't afraid to cry right now; in fact, he wanted to go tell Leo that he was an idiot. Mikey sat up as well, and reached for the diary. Instead of putting it away, though, Mikey put it in a bag to take to the farm.

"I wanna read more," he explained quietly. "Let's get this packed up."

Mutely, Raph nodded and took down some of the books from the shelves, the ones that seemed to be the most interesting. Their brother didn't have a single fantasy, fiction, or sci-fi book. Those, though, were his favorite types of shows on the television.

_Oh, Leo,_ Raph thought sadly, running a thick finger over the spine of a book on World War I tactics and planning. _What have we done to you?_

Soon, they had the room packed up and the bags sitting neatly outside, the diary in the top of the right one. Mikey exchanged a look with Raphael and then visibly pulled himself together. A bright smile lit his face and he seemed carefree, though Raph could see the tension in his jaw and muscles.

Raph did the same, but instead of a smile was an indifferent sneer. "I'll help Don," he said gruffly. "You get the food and your stuff packed."

"But that's the same thing!" Mikey whined in a very Mikey-like voice.

"Get!" Raph growled, pounding off towards Donnie's lab. Leo was still sleeping on the couch when Raph glanced in to check on their leader.

"Hey, Raph." Don's voce greeted him distractedly. "Do you think you can move this machine here?"

"Sure thing, Donnie," Raph answered, lifting it experimentally. "Ya want it in the Battle Shell?"

"Yes. Make sure to bolt it down in the back. We're going to keep this in case Leo gets hurt or something. It's a full E.R. system in one machine. I thought it might be handy to have."

"Sure is. Hey, when we get there, you and I and Mikey need to talk." Don nodded absently as Raph told him this. "It's important."

"Okay," he agreed, still absorbed in a device he was tinkering with under a magnifying lens.

Raph smirked. _Same old Don_.

As Mikey helped Raph and Don make the Battle Shell better equipped for transporting a five-hundred pound turtle with wings that wouldn't close well, Leo was waking to his father's elderly voice.

"My son, we are leaving for the farm tomorrow. You must rest," Splinter argued when the blue-banded turtle stood up, his wings feeling better than they had in a long time.

"I will on the drive, Sensei," Leonardo answered. "For now, we must pack."

"Your brothers are taking care of such matters. You will need your strength to make the journey without overburdening your brothers. How do you feel, my son?"

"Well enough to help, Sensei. Please, may I? I will sleep better," Splinter's adopted eldest pleaded. The rat, knowing he could not keep Leonardo from helping when he wished to, nodded hesitantly.

Leonardo was gone, his wing tips hissing on the floor.

­­­"Wake up, sleepy!" a voice called, jarring Leonardo out of blissful release. Blearily, Leo sat up and rolled over, his wings pulling him off his low futon and into an ungraceful pile on the floor.

"Sorry!" Mikey apologized immediately, helping his brother off the cold ground. This winged turtle merely snorted and flicked the tips of his wings before following Mike out of his room silently. Donnie and Raph were waiting with Master Splinter in the Battle Shell.

Inside, it looked like an infirmary. Leo sat on the table as the door closed, and Raph helped him buckle his wings onto the table-like bed, lying down in the process. Don had explained that it was for their safety; if Leonardo crashed into them, he could hurt them badly.

Soon, Leo was asleep. His face was serene, as if was not often. Mike rubbed absent-minded circles on Leo's shell and was jolted out of his thoughts when their brother began purring again. Smiling, Mikey kept at his mini-massage and Leo purred hard enough to vibrate both of his entire wings.

"Could ya keep it down?" Raph grumped, sitting in his swivel chair and trying to fall asleep. They had left early because of the need for secrecy as they drove.

"No. I think it's cute," Mikey complained, still caressing Leonardo's shell, tracing the patterns in the plates but carefully around the wing joints, which were still tender and red.

"You would," Raph grumbled, getting up to sit on Leo's right side, opposite his brother. Master Splinter and Don were in the front, making sure they went the right way.

"Will he ever be able to be like he was?" Mikey asked timidly, stroking Leo's leathery wings.

"No, Mikey," Raph answered sorrowfully, recalling the diary they had found and read. "We're not gonna let him. And we can't just cut these wings off; that's like losing a couple of arms, if ya got four of 'em."

"I wouldn't want four arms. That'd mean you could beat me up even more with less effort!" Mike whined.

"I wouldn't, either," Raph assured him. "However, wings would be cool. I mean, only if they fit me."

"I'm guessing he'll grow to accommodate them." Don's tired voice floated gently back to them from the cab. "Or they'll shrink, but that's not very likely."

"Donnie, what happens if he does start growing? How big will he get?" Mikey asked, stroking Leo's sides. Raph grunted but his hand was trailing absently over his big bro's leathery wings.

"He'll eat a shell lot more," Don answered. Since he rarely cussed, it was an emphasis on how much Leonardo might begin eating. "And he'll grow to approximately Darkwing's original size, or perhaps bigger. Darkwing, from what I can recall, had wings almost as big as Leo's."

"A horse-sized turtle!" Raph groaned. "Great! Where'd we keep him? He wouldn't really fit in the lair."

"No, but we'll think about that if he gets to that size. From what I can discern right now, he's not growing at a fast rate yet. However, if he does, we have to make sure he eats about ten thousand calories per day, at the minimum."

"Shell," Raph whistled.

"From my study, if Leo grows, he'll do it so fast we might have to keep him eating constantly, especially high-calorie stuff like glucose and fat-filled foods." Don chewed at his lower beak, a sign he was worried. Raph rested a comforting hand on the braniac's shoulder.

"Don, you need some rest. Let me drive," Raph offered.

"You don't have a license," Donnie protested.

"So? It's early and we're in the middle of nowhere. We'll be fine. If I see a cop, we'll just hope he doesn't stop us. Okay?"

"Alright," Don accepted, pulling over and hopping into the back of the Battle Shell. Raph replaced him at the wheel, putting his seat belt on automatically.

_Look at me. I'll run out and search for thugs to beat up and get my shell handed to me by Foot Elite, but when it comes to driving, I always wear a shelling seatbelt!_ Raph chuckled to himself, easing the Battle Shell onto the highway again.

All the rest of the way, they only encountered a few cars, none of which spared them an extra glance. Raph made sure to keep his tinted window up, and Master Splinter was leaning against his, watching the landscape roll by serenely in the warm morning light.

In the back, Mikey and Don were asleep. Leo, however, had awoken and was confused. He was tied down and moving pretty fast.

However, as a Mikey Snore hit his ears with a alto tone, Leonardo smiled. He was safe; he was with his brothers in the Battle Shell. They were going to the farm way upstate. He was very hungry, too. He could feel his stomach rumbling, and could imagine his cells begging for food.

The image of a line of cells like on cartoons lined up in front of a food vendor-like stand that was labeled "Stomach" was too funny; Leo chuckled to himself. This, however, woke the lightest sleep – aside from Leonardo and Master Splinter – and Donnie looked blearily at him before smiling widely.

"Hey, Leo. Sleep well?"

"Yes," Leonardo answered, itching his wings absently. "I'm hungry, though. Got anything to eat?"

A flash of worry traveled through Donatello. _Leo shouldn't be growing so soon,_ he told himself. "Yeah. Hold on."

Don rummaged through the pack of food in the back of the truck, coming up with a container of high-fat, high-calorie food that would normally cause Leo to lose his appetite.

However, the eldest turtle gobbled it as if he hadn't eaten in days. Don could understand why, and he knew the "how"s of it, but it still surprised him.

Mikey had woken up and was watching Leo devour his favorite chocolate cake when he looked at Don, who was staring at Leonardo worriedly. With a flick of his head, Don met Mikey's eyes. _He's not supposed to do this yet,_ Don conveyed.

"Taste good?" Mike asked Leo, who nodded abruptly and put the empty bowl down.

"Indeed. That was refreshing. Where are we?"

"About ten minutes out," Raph answered. "Get ready to disembark. It's still pretty cold up here."


	11. Disembarkment

Raph pulled into the decrepit barn ten minutes later

Raph pulled into the decrepit barn ten minutes later. Leo was having a hard time staying awake and not letting his stomach betray him, but he was _hungry_!

Master Splinter took his bags of herbs, teas, and candles, walking slowly into the patchy brown house that was dubbed "the farm". It lay on the edge of a forest where almost no one lived. In fact, their nearest neighbor was four miles away. This was only good, because the turtles came up here often in the spring and summer. They'd even come up here during the winter, when they all were suffering from another loss of a lair.

Raphael and Don were helping Leo out of the van as Mikey took their stuff inside and stroked the fire into a roaring blaze. Then, he held the door open for his big brother, who was still very tired. Mike also caught a hint of hunger in Leonardo's _chi_.

"I'll make something to eat," he announced cheerily, bouncing into the small kitchen at their disposal. Dusty pots and pans hung from the ceiling like a deranged killer's victims. Their food stocks were still high, and the pantry was full. The fridge was running well, keeping spoiled milk cool. Mike threw that out immediately; he might accidentally drink it, after all, in one of his semi-conscious midnight raids.

Don was making Leo lie down in front of the fire on his plastron. Though their leader didn't show it, he was exhausted and very hungry. Also, the fire felt good. Not realizing it, Leo had stretched out his wings like sails to absorb as much of the heat as he could. However, when his muscles collapsed from trying to hold them up, one nearly fell in the wood stove. Only Raph's quick reflexes as the hothead grabbed it saved Leonardo from a burnt wing tip.

"Careful there," Raph growled, tucking Leo's wings in where they would wrap around him like a blanket. "We can't have you burning your wings, now can we?"

"No," Leo agreed humorlessly. "Could you pull my wings back. I'm overheating with them so close."

"Thermal wings?" Don asked. "Hmmm. They seem to emit heat. Well, that's good. You have less of a chance of freezing to death."

"Thanks," Leo grumped, very Raph-like. The red-marked turtle chuckled and went to help Don bring in the rest of their stuff. With both of them working, the Battle Shell was cleared out in no time.

"What are you making, Michelangelo?" Master Splinter asked his son from the kitchen doorway.

"Soup, Sensei. Leo's hungry still, and it's all we've got, really."

"We shall have to make a grocery run soon."

"_Hai_, Sensei. Raph and I can do it, if you like. We've got our disguises here, and I brought some money."

"Good. If we plan to stay here longer, we will see about earning more so we may buy what we can. How is your brother?"

"Tired and hungry," Leo answered, leaning on the wall next to his master. "Mike, what smells so good?"

"Chicken noodle," the youngest turtle grinned, stirring the contents of a pot on the stove. A flame flickered under it, and the smell was intoxicating to Leo.

"Hm, smells good," Leonardo allowed, sitting down in the chair at the small kitchen table. "Where are Don and Raph?"

"Unloading the Battle Shell," Mikey answered, pulling out bowls from the cupboards. "Wow. It's all dusty. Hey, bro, can you blow all the dust out of here with your wings?"

"Um, I'm not sure. It'd give them something to do." Leo stood and flexed his wings, then drove them forward. The dust in the open cupboard shot out, engulfing them both. One more wing beat, and it all flew out the window Mikey had opened when Leo had gotten to his feet.

"You know," Mikey drawled, rinsing his mouth of the dust he'd inhaled when he opened his mouth to comment on Leo's eagerness, "I didn't mean when I was in here."

"Sorry," Leo apologized, looking at the soup and the bowls now not dusty. Mike laughed and dished him up, offering some to their rat father, who declined graciously. Mike then spooned out bowls for Don and Raph, who came in just then. All four sitting down, Mikey sat right on Leo's left.

"Brrr," the young turtle complained. "It's cold."

"Here," Leo said compassionately, extending his wing. It cupped Mikey towards their leader and Mike's skin grew warm with the immense heat radiating off the skin of Leonardo's wing.

"Wow! It's warm." Mikey snuggled close to Leo, who in turn wrapped his wing around his brother.

Don just laughed and went back to eating, and Raph snickered. Mike, finished with his soup, wrapped his arms around his big brother and huddled in the warmth of his wing.

"Comfy?" Leo snorted, his wings rustling slightly in amusement. Mike looked up and grinned goofily.

"Yeah."

"A Kodak moment," Don sighed, whipping out his camera. Before Leo or Mikey could move, he had snapped a picture. "Good thing I have my laptop and can give this to April."

"She doesn't know," Leo objected. "I think we should invite them up here to see this transformation in person. Somehow, I don't think she'll like it when you send her a picture of Mike hugging me without telling her about your guinea pig."

"What?" Don asked teasingly. "Fearless Leader scared of a human girl?"

"She's a woman, firstly. Second, I am not!"

"Oooh," Raph sniggered. "I think Leo's got a girlfriend!"

"Do not!" Leo opposed, clipping Raph over the head with his wing. "I just don't think Don should send his picture because April will come up anyway. You two would have a field day with tests and microscopes."

"Dude, my "field day" started the instant Master Splinter pulled Darkwing from your mind," Don laughed. "I mean, now I get to watch cells grow first hand."

"Lucky you. I just wish these things would go down to size. Hey, does anyone else smell that?" Leo asked.

"What?" Don sniffed the air. Aside from the regular old house smell, he didn't sense anything.

"Someone's close by. Someone who recently ate liver and onions. Yuck!" Leo complained, covering his snout. "Ugh, that is nasty."

"Could it be one of Casey's neighbors?" Don wondered. "Raph, let's check it out. You two can just… sit there. Or cuddle!" Don added to Leo and Mike without mercy.

"No way," Leo objected. "The only way I'm going to get stronger is if I work hard. I'm coming."

"Well, okay," Don allowed, standing. "But if it is a threat, promise to hang back? Your wings could be cut off if we got in a mess!"

Leonardo winced visibly and put his hand on his wing tenderly. "Alright. I'll just follow you guys. Maybe I can even fly above!"

"Not yet," Don snorted. "You need a lot more muscle mass for that."

"Says you," Mike laughed. "What if Leo can?"

"Then we'll try it out tomorrow, when it's warmer. We've got a whole week of good weather ahead of us, apparently. Then it'll rain a little, and then it's going to be full-on hot summer!"

"Thanks for the weather report, braniac, now let's move it!" Raph growled, spinning a Sai lazily in one hand.

"We're going," Mikey grouched, getting out from under Leo's wing and meeting the cooler air with a whine. Leonardo stood and Mike helped him close his wings.

"Alright. Let's go."

As one, they trooped silently out towards the woods, following Leo's nose.


	12. A Case of the Rocing Giggles

"Ugh!" Leo complained to himself again, putting a hand over his snout. The smell was so strong he was surprised that his brothers couldn't smell it. Suddenly, a new smell assaulted him, and Leo felt his mind blank.

"Dude." Mikey looked around, wondering at the beauty of the forest surrounding them. His head craned backwards to watch a lovely patch of wood, Mike didn't see Leo freeze and ran into the brick wall that was so recently their brother. "Ow! Leo, why'd you do that?"

But Leo didn't respond. He was still holding his three-fingered hand over his nose, but he didn't seem to be aware of much. Don and Raph, alerted by Mike's whine, looked back in time to see Leonardo twitch a little, then still again.

"Hey, bro!" Raph slapped Leo over the head gently, not worrying about it. However, before his hand was even close to getting away from their brother's head, Leo's wings flared and beat quickly, like a bird of prey when startled.

Don grabbed one and Raph latched onto the other, holding the fragile wings gingerly while Mike thumped Leo's plastron to get his attention.

"…Mike?" Leo's voice asked. "How'd you get in front of me?" Leo looked over at Don and Raph, his hand falling from his snout. "What's going on? If this is your idea of a joke-"

"You froze, bro," Mike explained. "Then you just flung out your wings. Donnie and Raph grabbed 'em in case you hit something… or someone!"

"What happened?" Don asked their elder brother carefully, forcing Leo's stiff wing shut with a snap. That seemed to jolt Leo further back into reality; he cleared his throat and looked eastward.

"Blood," he answered simply, rolling his shoulders as if disgusted and terrified but trying to shrug it off. "I smelled blood."

"Where?" Raph asked eagerly, spinning a Sai expertly while he held Leo's wings closed with his left hand.

"Follow me," Leo answered, unfolding his wings. "Weird. I can control them, and they don't seem that heavy now. Don, anything you can tell me?"

"Hold still." Don probed Leo's shoulders and gasped. "Shell!"

"What?"

"Leo, you just grew muscles like I've never seen. They're so powerful and compact that… they can control your wings without making your shoulders look different. Are you sure you can control your wings fully?"

"Yes," Leo answered, sweeping his wings back and forth, alternating between right and left. "Hm. Anyway, the blood is from over here."

They trooped silently through the forest, Leonardo keeping his wings pinned tight to his shell with the close proximity of the trees. Soon, they came to a clearing, in which the blood smell was strongest. Being the best tracker, Leo looked around and found signs of one human entering the meadow from the side opposite theirs. Then, his track stopped and a blood spray said something had happened.

However, there was no body or drag marks leading away from the scene. In fact, it looked like whoever it was had just dropped dead near the middle of the clearing and disappeared. There was enough blood to account for a neck wound that would have shot blood for the two-foot circle they were gazing at with trepidation.

"What did this?" Don asked himself and the others, carefully scanning the trees and grass for clues.

"Roc."

Everyone turned to Leo, who looked like he was bristling. If he had hair, it would be sticking up right now. His wings rustled restlessly, and Leo turned to them, his eyes narrowed in a rage they rarely saw on their calm brother.

"Excuse me?" Don asked, taking a step back involuntarily when Leo's cold gaze swung to him.

"Roc. A huge bird, but with the claws of a dragon. They're one of our worst enemies," Leo explained. His voice was tinted with hatred and disgust as he spoke.

"How the shell do you know that?" Raph demanded. "That sounds like something out of a myth!"

"I don't know, and watch your language. You know-"

A shriek split the air as Leo started his famous "Don't Cuss" lecture. Looking up, all four saw a huge bird dive-bombing them. The feathers on it were dark blue and black, and the beaks and claws were covered in blood.

All three of the younger brothers hit the deck, but they looked up as a challenging roar ripped itself from Leo's throat. Fanning his enormous wings, Leonardo shot into the sky towards the Roc.

"Leo!" Mike called, wishing his brother would hit the deck like they did.

"Forest!" Leo's voice called back as he pumped his wings, gaining on the Roc in front of him. "Stay hidden!"

Raph was tempted to argue, but when Leo and the Roc came together in an explosion of wings and claws and katanas, quickly falling towards them, he thought better of it and pulled Mike and Don after him as he raced for the protective trees.

Looked out from the forest, Raph spotted Leo and the Roc still hacking at each other with their weapons. The Roc looked to be winning; he was bigger and had claws and his wicked beak.

However, as Leo flipped one wing and curled the other, barrel-rolling away from a viscous attack, Raph realized that this battle was pretty even. He also realized that the Roc would stand a better chance in the air.

"Leo! Herd it down!" Raph bellowed, taking out a Sai. Behind him, Mike and Don gripped their weapons as Leonardo strove for height, his massive wings outpacing the Roc's, which were tailored for hit-and-blind attacks.

Soon, Leo turned around as if in slow motion and fell, his wings on his shell, towards the gigantic bird below. The Roc, stunned for a moment, shrieked in anger as the flying turtle hit him between the wings, knocking him down towards Raph's waiting Sai.

Seizing his opportunity, Don watched Leonardo fly, noticing how he played on the wind currents to gain altitude and to smash into the Roc from above. Soon, Leo's katana were lost in the Roc's back.

However, Leo landed on the Roc's back again and used his own wings to engulf them both. Screeching, the Roc was free-falling towards an angry, red-wearing turtle with Sai.

At the last moment, Leo opened his wings with a snap and was pulled from the plunging Roc's back. Hitting the ground, the Roc was momentarily stunned. Raph took that chance to bury both of his Sai into the bird's throat up to the hilt. It worked; the Roc took one last breath and then was still.

Above, Leo was slowly descending in spirals, flicking his tail and crossing his arms over his plastron to minimize wind resistance. Don watched carefully, making sure he hadn't strained something, as Leo touched down and landed in a crouch.

"Wow!" Mike squealed, running up to hug their brother. Leo's wings covered them both as the over-enthusiastic turtle latched onto the eldest with a death-like grip. "You flew!" Mikey sounded like he was congratulating a child that took its first step.

"Yeah," Leo chuckled, retrieving his katanas and wiping them off in the grass and dirt.

"Leo, is your wing hurt?" Don asked, noticing that Leo held his right wing out a little.

He winced. "A little. I think I strained it when I snapped 'em open. It's fine, though," he insisted when Don started poking the bones and skin.

"Alright," Don sighed reluctantly. "Raph, can you help me?"

"Sure. What're we doing?" Raph asked, tucking his now-clean Sai into his belt and coming around to Don's left, staring at the wings on Leo's back. They were amazing.

"We're going to see how much Leo can lift. He's so eager to do this, we might as well," Don replied evilly.

"No- Wait!" Leo shouted, but was rushed by Don and Raph, who tickled him mercilessly. It was an old game; Leo was the most ticklish in the family. Shrieking with laughter, Mike joined in the torture.

"Ah- ah- S-Stop!" Leo cried, his wings being held down and attacked by Don and Raph. Mikey was tickling him along the skin between his shell and chest plate.

"Say the magic saying!" Mikey squeaked, kneeling ruthlessly on Leo's arms, pinning him down expertly. Don and Raph were sitting contentedly on both of their elder's wings, and Mikey was making sure Leonardo was laughing hard enough to choke almost.

"Ha- ha- L-let me up!" Leo screamed in laughter, his wings relaxing. Don and Raph relaxed a little, thinking Leo had given up finally. However, they soon found themselves thrown across the clearing as Leo's wings skyrocketed. Mikey "eep"ed and ran for his life as Leo stood up, laughing murder in his eyes.

"Here I come!" he called, like he used to when they were just tots.

Squealing, Mikey and Don ran into the woods, towards the house. Raph growled but followed, planning on beating their elder brother this time. It was a ninja-game of tag, but it had more repercussions. Once Leo found them, he was able to make them do one thing. Anything!

Last time, Raph remembered, he had had to put on a pair of pink boots and glasses and pose for a picture. His brothers had nearly died from laughter. However, Raph was planning on paying Leo back this time. It was a rule, too, that if they caught him unaware, he would have to do something for them! And Raph knew he _hated_ not being able to practice.

Running next to his brothers, he shared the plan with them. It was time for payback!


	13. A Game of Tag

Leo smiled and shrugged, fanning his wings gently

Leo smiled and shrugged, fanning his wings gently. If they wanted a chase, they had one! With new confidence, Leonardo shook his wings out and surged into the sky like a bullet out of a gun.

Flying slowly, the blue-masked turtle kept an eye out for his brothers in case they tried to jump him in the air from a tree. Or worse yet, wrap chains around his wings and hang him somewhere for the night.

Chuckling, Leo flitted about, not bothering to hide himself. With his elevated hearing and smelling, he'd be able to sense them before they did him.

­­­"You sure, Raph?" Mike whispered, watching his brother rig the trap. Don was in the tree across from them, attaching his end of the net.

"Mike, this'll only work if you shut your trap. If he hears you, we're dead meat!"

"Ready!" Don called softly in a voice that hardly carried. Raph nodded and jumped down.

"Now, remember, we have to time it just right. Wait for me here. When he comes past, drop the net on him."

"We know," Mike assured Raph. "Go!"

Raph nodded and disappeared into the forest. He'd head for the farmhouse, that's where Leo would expect them to go.

Silently, Raph made sure to hide from eyes above, in case Leonardo was flying as they had anticipated.

Soon, the farm was in sight. Slowing, Raph stood under a tree and looked around the clearing, then up in the sky. _Aha! There he is!_

Leo was spiraling lazily, and gave no indication the he knew Raph was there, nor did he seem to know about their trap for him.

Faking ignorance, Raph sprinted across the clearing, making a beeline for the house. However, a laugh above made him look over his shoulder and he saw Leo start a dive that would intersect their course.

Slowing, turning, and speeding up again in ninja style, Raph pelted for the forest again, as if running from Leonardo. His flying brother chuckled loudly and gave chase through the forest. Raph made sure to stick to the paths Leo's wings could fit.

They got close to the tree; Mike gave an alerting whistle that sounded just like a bird. Leo strove harder, knowing that the forest got thicker ahead and that he'd lose Raph to the trees.

"Now!" Raph cried, running under the net suspended in the trees. Leo drove his wings back, trying to brake or at least get above the obvious trap that he saw now, but to no avail.

The net crashed into him, and with a screech his new vocal chords made, Leo was dropped. Wings bound at odd angles by the net, effectively pinning him down, Leonardo was trapped.

Don, Mike, and Raph came into his field of vision. They were laughing, and doing so while leaning on each other. Leo grimaced; the fall was not kind to his wings.

"Laugh it up," he growled, wondering how he could get out of this net. Then he wondered how they had tricked him. He'd been confident, he realized, too confident that they'd lose again. He had to remember that they were not tots anymore, but grown turtles.

"So, do you yield?" Raph asked formally, sitting lazily on Leo's left wing as Don did the same on his right. Mikey was prepared to tickle their bigger brother into submission.

"Yeah, I yield." They all heard the terror in those words; Leo had years of payback coming to him.

"Good. Since all three of us caught you, we get to have you do three things," Mike crowed. "I wanna go first!"

"No way! I'm picking first!"

"I don't care," Leo chimed in. "Just let me up so I can close my wings. You're hurting them."

"Sorry," Don apologized, standing up and heaving the net off of Leonardo. They weren't worried about him backing out; he was now honor-bound, and Leo never tainted his honor.

"Alright, Mike, you first," Raph allowed graciously, smiling maliciously. "Make it count, bro, this'll probably be our only chance."

"Okay!" Mikey grinned, putting his chin in his hand as he gazed at their quivering leader, who was standing ready to bolt. "I got it!" he crowed triumphantly, stabbing a finger in Leo's direction. "Bro, you're gonna hate this."

"I already am," Leo assured Mike. "But as these are the rules, I shall obey your wish." Mockingly, Leo swept out his wings and bowed profusely.

"Alright. You have to stop training for a whole week."

Silence. Then laughter from Raph and chuckles from Don at the look on Leo's face. He seemed as thought the whole world was ending.

"Specifically, you have to be with one of us at all times, you may not train other than what Master Splinter orders has us do in the morning. You cannot meditate unless we all do."

"But-"

"Ah, no "buts", Leo. This is my punishment for you. Bro, you've got to loosen up a bit. You'll kill yourself with this stress." Raph looked at Mike meaningfully. "And we have something to discuss, too, about a certain someone's soul."

All color drained from Leonardo's face, to the horror of his brothers. They'd never seen him so beaten and cowed; his wings drooped and shook, but Mike was not going to back down no matter what. Raph was staring at him compassionately, Mike was not smiling, and Don was confused.

Leo turned away for a moment, gathering his thoughts consciously. Reaching up absently, he rubbed his shoulder and wing joint.

"Very well," he answered Mike in a shallow voice. His brothers' hearts almost broke hearing it. "I accept those terms. For one week, I will spend all of my time with one or more of you three, and will not train unduly nor meditate unless told to strictly by Master Splinter. These are the terms?"

"Yes," Mike answered, stepping forward. "And we're gonna have a talk about a certain soul."

"It's too late," Leo whispered, his wings engulfing his body.

"Never," Raph answered heatedly, taking a step forward and forcing Leo's wings open. Don just stared in confusion; what the shell was going on?

"Dammit, Raph, let it go!" Leo shouted angrily. In his astonishment, Raph let go of Leonardo's wings and backed off a step. Taking his chance, Leo took off, his wings driving up dust that choked his brothers slightly.

"Come back here!" Raph ordered, looking up in the sky. Their brother was floating over them, his wings creating a shady place that swallowed them completely. "Follow us!" he commanded, giving their signal for such a demand. Leo's wings dipped in acknowledgement and their brother followed above through the forest towards the barn.

Master Splinter was waiting on the porch, a bemused smile on his lips. However, as he saw the deflated look on Michelangelo, the hurt on Raphael's face, and the confusion in Donatello, he inhaled sharply. Where was Leonardo?

"My sons-"

His words were cut off as his best student back-winged to a landing in front of the group. What stopped the rat Sensei was the look of terror and horror on the blue-wearing turtle's face. Something grave had happened, he knew such immediately. The blood still on Leonardo's wings did nothing to persuade him otherwise.

Reaching out, Master Splinter touched his eldest son's mind carefully, only to find it shut tightly and "reeking" of pain and loss.

"What has happened?"

"Nothing, Sensei. A game of tag that ended with Fearless Leader being caught, Master Splinter," Raph added quickly when the rat glared at him.

"Indeed. Sit, my sons. We must speak with each other. I sense great disturbance."

Raph stifled a growl. He needed to get that diary and read more; he'd read some on the way here, when he wasn't driving, and it was all bad. Leo was… _a selfless idiot,_ Raph's mind supplied immediately.

Sighing, Raph and Don sat on Master Splinter's right, Leo and Mike on his left. Leo had to stand with his wings until Mike had sat down and looked back up smiling at his big brother. Only then did Leo awkwardly sit down with his wings extended so that they didn't crunch up against the ground. Mike leaned into the soft leather, exhaling happily as Leo's right wing wound around him slightly.


	14. Painful Truths

"Yes, Master Splinter

"Yes, Master Splinter?" Don asked, still confused but hoping his Sensei could explain it all away.

"My sons… I sense difficulty here. What is the problem that so affects you all?" Master Splinter looked to his eldest immediately on habit, but Leonardo was silent, gazing at Michelangelo, who was curled in his wing, as if the sight mesmerized him.

When Raphael cleared his throat, Master Splinter snapped his attention to his second-oldest quickly.

"Master Splinter… it was a game of tag that ended differently," Raph shrugged. Sensei was looking at him avidly now, as was Don. Letting out a sigh, he locked gazes with Leo, who looked away.

"Leo lost."

"I see. This is not the most bothersome point, though," Master Splinter deduced, now looked harder at his favorite student. Leonardo was… defeated, lifeless.

"No, Sensei. With all due respect, it is something we four must work out before we can talk to anyone else."

Master Splinter heard the truth in Raphael's words, and knew that if he pushed, he would only cause more damage. "Very well," he allowed. "Then I expect you all to speak to me again in such a counsel when the time has come that you are comfortable doing so. Know only that I am always here for you."

"Leo sold his soul!" Mikey blurted suddenly. Don shot him a look that said, _You've lost it, huh?_ Raph, however, winced as Leo's eyes lit up with an inner fire they hardly ever saw. However, it was deadlier than Raph's rage.

"Leonardo?" Master Splinter asked, turning to face his oldest quickly. Leonardo stood up, bowed, and walked away silently. However, Mike grabbed his wing and pulled it down to him. With a grunt, Leo was knocked onto his back, his wings splayed across the grass.

"Sit." No one had heard Mikey ever use that tone of voice; Leo blinked, Don gasped, and Raph smirked. This was Mike being Raph-like. And it was _not_ pretty. "You will tell us of this Ninja God you mention in this diary, and you will do so truthfully," Mike ordered, his hand caressing Leo's wing tip soothingly. "We are only here to help."

"Yeah, right," Leo snarled. Now everyone was taken aback; this was not Leonardo, this was Raph stuck in a deadlier, flying body! And it was actually going to get more like two Raph's and a pissed Leo, if Leo's mind signals were anything to go by.

"Leonardo, explain, please." Master Splinter put his paw on his son's wings, only to feel them shaking, though with suppressed rage or fear he could not tell.

"What's going on?" Don whispered to Raph.

"Hold the phone, everyone," Raph ordered loudly, standing. "Mike, keep Leo here for a minute. I'll grab the diary. Don, we'll bring you up to speed as we go, okay?" With that, Raph trudged into the farm. He came out quickly, though, with a small, blue book in one hand. Leo's eyes widened in recognition and he sat up, tucking his wings close to the ground to keep him in balance.

"This is… Leo's diary. Mike and I found it lying on his table, so we didn't steal it from a locked vault or nothing," Raph assured Leo and Master Splinter hastily. "It has some interesting stuff in it."

"Raph, please," Leo pleaded. "It was my choice, as it still is. Can't we just forget it?"

"No, Leo!" Mike protested before Raph could. "This is serious!"

"But-"

"No!" Mike had tears coming from his eyes, which startled Don. What was Leo hiding that affected their littlest brother so much?

"Very well," Leo sighed, defeated. He wrapped his right wing around Mikey comfortingly. "I did it to save you." Mike just sniffled and hugged Leonardo tightly, and Leo's response was to cover their orange-loving brother with his wing more.

"Did what?" Don asked, thoroughly ticked that he was unable to connect to what had Leo so cowed and Mike so sad.

"Leo, care to tell them, or should I?" Raph asked, his voice as hard and cold as steel in a freezer.

"I will, I suppose. You do not know everything." Leo gathered his thoughts, absently stroking Mikey's shell as he did so. "Master Splinter, Donatello, to tell it short, I sold my soul to the Ninja God."

Stunned silence from both of the addressees. Then Don's mouth dropped open with a pop and Master Splinter's eyes closed. Leo opened his mind barriers for his Sensei, but shut out Raph, who was also trying to get into his brother's mind.

"I was about ten. When you first told me that I was to be leader," Leo clarified for Master Splinter, who sat listening attentively. "I knew that I would have to care for my brothers and keep them from harm, Sensei, when you left us. That's why I train so much. I need to be able to protect you.

"I knew about Him from the scrolls you let me read, Master Splinter. I also knew that, if one of my brothers were to die, I would not be able to keep this family together. We are closely linked, but when disaster strikes, we are quick to separate and do things our own way." Leo glared at Raph, who was silent and didn't acknowledge the jib.

"Anyway, I was meditating hard one night when I realized that I had touched something I'd never felt before. It was like a broad, flat plain to me, but it was filled with souls and spirits. I searched for the ruler of this place, wanting to know more, and I found Him. At first, He thought I was an abandoned soul like the rest of them, but then He realized that I was not, so he came to talk to me.

"He knew of the conflicts I faced, the dangers and trials. He offered me something. Something I could not turn away, for it met my goals of protecting and saving you three. And all I had to do… was be honorable for the rest of my life and try to protect you three. So I agreed.

"When I woke up, I felt… hollow. I still do. But I don't care. I would have grown up the same anyway, and this is merely an added bonus."

"You die in our stead!" Raph argued.

"True," Leo shrugged. "But then, I have always hoped such a thing would come to pass."

This raised horrified gasps from Mike, Don, and Raph, while Master Splinter sighed and shook his head sadly.

"Is there any way to reverse this?" Don asked timidly. Leo turned his blue eyes on their braniac, thankful that he had asked the question.

"No. Not until I die or act dishonorably. As soon as I do that, I join the ranks of His army."

"So that's why you are always honorable, and spouting the "ninja honor" crap all the time," Raph growled. "Why'd ya do it, bro?"

"I needed to protect you," Leo said again. "If that is all, I believe that it is nearly time for dinner, and I have a deal to keep."

"We will talk soon on this subject, Leonardo. I will meditate. You would be wise to sleep. You are tired."

"Indeed, Sensei, but I must beg permission to have some tea first. Would you care for any?"

"Thank you, my son, I would." Master Splinter got up stiffly and walked slowly into the house. Don and Raph stood and followed, letting Leo deal with the emotional Mikey.

In the end, Mike would not come out from Leo's wing, preferring to be close to the brother they could lose so easily. Instead of one out of four who could die from an errant shot in an alley fight, Leo was now covering for all of them.

Finally, Leo just sighed and used his strong wing to pick Mikey up, though it looked odd from an outside view. However, the sad turtle merely curled up to the wing's warm shelter and was soon asleep, his death-like grip keeping any thoughts of dislodging him now from Leo's mind.

"Let's go in, little bro. You need a rest." Smiling, Leo heaved himself to his feet, feeling stronger now. Were his muscles all over his body becoming like the ones in his shoulders?

Mike's only response was to cuddle closer to Leonardo's side and latch his hand on the right wing joint.

Leonardo sat down with Mikey on the couch, hoping Don would help him. True to form, his purple-loving brother came in and smiled at the sight of the lump in Leo's wing.

Don was able to loosen Mikey's grip with some creative tickling along their little brother's tendons, and Leo slipped out of the couch and into the kitchen, keeping his wings tightly snuggled against his back.

"Bro… thanks," a voice whispered. Don came in and hugged Leo, his strong arms wrapping fully around the wings. Leo hugged Donatello back, knowing that his brother did not hold a grudge but was actually understanding. Just like Leo told the other two when Don was trying to work hard, this was something he needed to do.

Mike came in then, his eyes still red from crying. However, he smiled brightly. "No training," he reminded Leo. Happy to see Mikey back to himself, Leo groaned in fake agony and meekly lowered his head and wings in submission.

"As you wish."


	15. A Hike in the Woods

Master Splinter meditated for the better part of that day

Master Splinter meditated for the better part of that day. Leonardo was forced to join his brothers in some activity. With Raph, he would race through the woods, wings clipping the bushes sometimes. Mikey insisted that they should cook together, though everyone knew that Leo was terrible with anything remotely having to do with something in kitchen, other than tea. He was the best tea-maker in the family. Don would just sit with him, and they'd talk about inventions the brother was hoping to make, with Leonardo pointing out flaws or possible hardships with the construction. In this way, Leo was kept busy until the evening, when Sensei emerged from his room.

"My sons, please gather around me," he ordered, kneeling in their living room turned dojo/meditation room. Leo was with Mikey at the time, and his orange brother cuddled into the leader's wing when they were both kneeling respectively. Raph and Don sat next to each other, on Mikey's other side.

"I have communed with the Ninja God," Master Splinter said quietly. "He has refused to take back the offer binding Leonardo. However, He has agreed to release his soul. He has agreed knowing that, if you were to go back on your word, Leonardo, you would go to Him and confess. If you should not do this, he would reclaim your soul and you in the process."

"I see," Leo whispered, looking at his hands. "There is no alternative soul in my stead, Master Splinter?"

"None," their Sensei promised. "But to receive a soul you have long lived without will be hard, Leonardo. Your body may reject it as not your own and would cast it – and by extension, yourself – into the Void."

"I understand and accept, Sensei," Leo insisted. "When will He be expecting me?"

"Anytime you wish to bring back what you have given so selflessly." With a bow of farewell, Master Splinter stood and walked back into his room, closing the door softly. Sighing, Leo wrapped his wing around Mike even more securely.

"Whatcha gonna do, bro?" Mikey asked, patting Leo's wing around him.

"Do? We're gonna get his soul back, that's what we gonna do!" Raph ordered, glaring at their leader. "Aren't we?"

"If you so wish," Leonardo mumbled. "But I do not know if you three can reach this plane of existence. You may have to wait here for my return, hopefully soul-ful."

"We will try," Don argued. "And we cannot do it here."

"No," Leo agreed. "I will take you to a place where we can reach Him easier."

"Where?"

"It is a two-day hike from here, but it will serve us for now. I will inform Master Splinter. And then we should rest."

Raph nodded, a rare thing for him to accept Leonardo's words without a fight. Don helped Mike stand up, then they both gave their big brother a hand to his feet. Leo's wings looked dry again, Don noticed.

"Leo, how do your wings feel?"

"Fine," the blue-bandana-ed turtle said carefully. "Why?"

"They look dry."

"Hm. Well, they are a little sore. Maybe I can enlist your help again?" Leonardo almost never admitted to being hurt, nor would he come down from his high pedestal to accept his brothers' help much. Don felt like crying from joy and sorrow at the same time.

"We'd love to," Mikey assured him. "Maybe Donnie can even make an invention that does it for you."

"Hm. Now there's a possibility." Don wandered off, his eyes distant with the equations and mechanical information running through his head.

Leo accepted this as an answer and turned towards Master Splinter's room. Before he could open the door, however, Raph put a hand on his shoulder.

"Bro… be careful," he finally said, stepping back. Leo knew that Raph was scared, but he was not one to admit it to anyone, least of all himself.

"Since when am I not?" Leonardo teased, stepping away and looking at the door. "Get some rest. We leave tomorrow, early."

"Yes, Fearless," Raph ground out mockingly.

Smiling, the leader of the teenage mutants stepped into Master Splinter's room.

"Sensei. We have decided on a course of action," Leonardo started. Master Splinter opened his eyes and gestured for his eldest to kneel on the mats in front of him. "We will go to a place where I can easily reach Him. My brothers will accompany me and try to follow my mind to this place. Would you deem it worthy to stay here, or would you prefer to join us?"

"My old bones cannot keep up," Master Splinter sighed ruefully. "The adventure is yours. Keep your brothers safe, Leonardo."

"I shall, Sensei. Thank you." Standing, Leo bowed gracefully and walked out silently.

"Be careful," the rat Sensei whispered, bending his head down and looking into the flame of the candle flickering in front of him. "And good luck."

­­­The next morning, after Raph and Don had managed to drag a sleepy Mikey out of bed, Leo was leading his brothers through the forest. Mikey was cracking jokes on Raph's behalf, and they were occasionally shooting off the trail, Mikey running from a steamed Raphael.

About the fifth time this happened, Leo chuckled to himself as Don sighed with exasperation. "I can't believe it, Leo," Don confided. "I mean, you'd think Mikey would be a little more somber."

"This is his way of dealing with what is happening," Leonardo explained. "Besides, it'll have them both ready for sleep when we stop tonight."

Donnie made an affirmative noise in his throat just as Mike came back and hid in Leo's wing.

"Hide me," he whispered. Chuckled, his elder brother complied, lifting the littler one in his wing and tucking him away behind his shell.

Suddenly, Raph burst in through the bushes and glared around. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Don drawled. "He headed off that way." Waving vaguely at another clump of bushes, Don amazingly kept a smile from his face. Grumbling about how Mike was so dead, Raph stormed off again, twirling a Sai in one hand and pushing through the bushes with the other.

"Is he gone?" Mikey's timid voice asked, poking his head out from Leo's wing. "Whew." Mike looked up suddenly. "You know, last time your wing was kinda shaking from holding me up. Now it's stronger. And you look like you've grown a couple inches."

"It's possible," Leo replied neutrally, munching on a trail bar. "What?" he asked when his brothers stared at him.

"My theory was correct," Don exclaimed. "You are growing to match your wings!"

"Hm." Leonardo didn't seem interested; he was digging through his pack, probably looking for something else to eat.

"We should have packed more food," Don groaned. "You'll be eating more than all four of us combined now."

"I can hunt," Leo said, his tone non-committing. Mike's jaw dropped.

"As in… deer?" he whispered, snuggling closer.

Leo's eyes widened. "No!" he objected, looking uneasy at the thought. "Forage, more like. For grasses and berries. It's spring; there should be plenty, especially where we're going."

"Gotcha!" Raph suddenly roared, leaping from a bush. Mikey squealed and latched onto Leonardo's back as Raph thundered closer, his Sai out and twisting. Leo looked around, saw nothing to run into to get rid of Raph, and opened his wings decisively.

"Hang on, Mikey!" he shouted, then drove his wings down, blinding Raph and Don and launching into the air with a shouting turtle clinging to his back. "Catch me if you can!" he shouted humorously at Raphael, who growled loudly at them.

"Watch me, O Winged One!"

"I like it!" Leo yelled back, shifting so Mike could get a better grip.

"Dude! This is awesome!" the orange-banded turtle gasped, looking around. "You can see for miles."

"Yes," Leo agreed, looking back at him. "And it is the freedom I love."

"I can see why!" Mikey breathed in at the beauty of the forest surrounding them. Leo veered right and left, his arms crossed. Mike could see for miles, until the mountains sprang up to the north. He even thought he could see the black cloud over New York, but that could be rain clouds or something.

"Get your butt down here, Leo!" Raph's enraged bellow sounded pissed and Mikey grimaced. They would be getting it tonight, when Leo landed for some dinner.

"You okay back there?" Leo asked, twisting as a branch launched itself at them, flying from Raphael's hands with deadly accuracy. However, Leonardo avoided it with his usual grace.

"Perfectly fine, but I think that we'll be in trouble tonight when we land," Mike guessed.

"Who said we're landing?"

"W-What?"

"I can sleep on the wing. Can you hold on through your sleep?"

"I'd much rather land, Leo, if that's okay." Mikey looked down; it was quite a ways to the ground below, and he didn't want to fall off if he did let go in his sleep.

"Okay, but you're not to complain when Raphael kicks your butt. And I think I'll stay in the sky. I can act as a lookout then."

"Um, if you're sure."

"I am," Leo smiled.


	16. A Brotherly Bond

That night, as promised, Leo dropped Mikey on the ground and leapt into the air again as Raph came forward to pound them both

That night, as promised, Leo dropped Mikey on the ground and leapt into the air again as Raph came forward to pound them both. Shaking his fist comically at their lucky brother, the hothead had to deal with just one to get his revenge on.

Mike lay on his side, due to the bruising on his shell from Raph's good-natured pounding. It wasn't too bad; Mikey had had worse. Leo's form floated above them, his arms dangling like he was actually asleep. Mike had to laugh; they didn't think Leo would actually be able to sleep and glide at the same time, but there he was. Sometimes, he'd jounce a little from a breeze that pushed him away, and he'd wake up enough to bring himself back over the meadow.

Don and Raph were asleep as well; Raph was snoring loud enough that Leo was sure to be hearing it even fifty feet above them. Donnie's mumblings were garble and even if Mikey could understand them, he didn't think he'd know what the purple-wearing turtle was saying.

Sighing, Mike curled up a bit more, the fire warming his plastron. Leo had lit it, actually, from above, while Raphael was busy pummeling Mikey and couldn't drag him down, too. His flame-breath was quite remarkable, even if the blaze was only big enough to catch on some dry grass. Donnie was watching Leo while he sustained the flame for a few seconds, then coughed and it went out. Leo's mask, too, was another mark of their brother's change.

_Will we be getting such changes with our Inhabitants? Will we even get Inhabitants now? What if the whole thing was a lie that Darkwing thought up?_

Mikey didn't like so many questions running around in his head; they prevented him from getting his beauty sleep. _Like I need it,_ he smirked, knowing he was the most handsome of his brothers.

"Mike," a soft voice from above called. "Is Raphie asleep?"

"Yep," Mikey whispered back to Leo, who soon landed.

"Good. I'm starving. Did you guys leave me anything?"

"Soup's on the fire still, Leo," Mikey answered carelessly, yawning. "Were you really asleep?"

"Yeah." Leo dug into the pot with a spoon, slurping silently but hungrily. Once finished, he attacked a couple of trail bars and finally lifted his wings.

"Leo?" Mikey's timid voice stopped him. Putting his wings down, Leonardo turned to see Mikey looking at him. "Will you… Would you sleep next to me?" he breathed out very quietly.

"Sure thing," Leo comforted, lying down on his plastron next to his youngest brother. "Cold?"

"Yeah." Mike was lying, but the red-eyed turtle let it slide and slid a wing over his brother, only to have Mikey roll over and hug him tightly, his head tucked safely beneath Leo's chin. "You are growing." With that, Mikey was asleep, his arms around Leo's sides.

Chuckling, Leo wrapped his wings more securely over Mikey and fell into a deep sleep.­

The cuddling turtles awoke to a camera shutter going off and immediately separated. Mikey blushed as he stood and faced Raph, who was holding the camera and grinned widely. Leo just huffed and started breakfast, waking their brained brother on his way to the camping supplies.

"Ahhh, blackmail." Raph sighed, looking at the camera in his hands reverently. Mikey glowered and then smiled and Raph began to get uneasy.

"Fine. You show that around, and I'll share the movie I have of you _singing in the shower!_" Mike squealed and ran for his life as Raphael roared angrily and set off in chase. Their big brother looked up and shook his head as Mike looked at him imploringly. He wasn't awake enough to try to lift them both off the ground, not to mention that there was food _here_.

"Breakfast!" he called, dishing up hearty oatmeal and bacon strips. He sat on the side of the fire farthest from the red-wearing turtle. Mike knelt to his big brother and tugged a wing protectively around himself, glancing at the fuming Raph. Don was still groggy, but he managed to stand up and join them for breakfast.

"Only a day more," Leo told them, devouring his food like he hadn't eaten in a month. Donnie wasn't surprised; when they got back, they'd all chip in to make sure Leo ate as much as he needed to as he grew. Suddenly, his head snapped. Mike was almost dwarfed next to Leo now.

Mike was the smallest, but still… Leo looked at least three inches taller than he usually was, and being the tallest, he was probably going to seem like a giant in a matter of days.

"You've grown again," Don pointed out restlessly. Mike looked up and nodded at Leo's head, which now stood about six inches above his own.

"Geez, dude!" Mikey went back to eating quietly, tucking himself into Leo's soft wing. It was brittle, though, and seemed dry. "We need to rub that oil on your wings again, Leo. It's getting harder."

Sighing in agreement, Leo felt the membrane along the edges and winced. "Yes, it is. Would you like to fly again, Mikey? It'll keep us away from Raph."

"I'd love to!" Donnie felt a shot of jealousy jolt through him; he wanted a ride, too! From Mike's reaction, it was very nice to be up there. However, he quelled it. Leo needed time to adjust, and Mikey was the one who could help him do that.

"Okay." Leo finished his breakfast and stood up, his wing picking Mikey up with him accidentally. Donnie noticed that Leonardo wasn't straining to lift their brother like he had last night.

"Whoa!" Mike cried as he dropped his bowl.

"Let's get this camp packed," the leader instructed, packing his bags with Mike still cupped in his wing. It seemed as they both liked this position; Mike was safe and warm, which was Leo's only goal in life, to keep his brothers safe.

Raph and Donnie picked up their bags and Leo grabbed his and Mikey's. He looked at them for a moment before stepping over to a tree and, using his horns that grew from his head, stripped a large piece of bark from it, big enough to strap to his plastron and carry their bags.

Mike helped him lash it onto his body, adjusting it so that it wouldn't rub on his chest plates or sides. Then, Leo lifted it wings and crouched. Looking very excited, Mike grabbed onto his shell and held on tightly as Leo drove his wings up and then back down, launching them into the sky.

"Ya-whoo!" Mikey screamed as they leveled out, scooting forward to sit less awkwardly. Beneath his legs, he felt Leo's muscles moving, flapping his wings. The bags shifted but didn't fall, and Leo looked down to signal Don and Raph to keep moving. If only he could carry them all! They'd be there by noon.

However, it would be hard, not to mention dangerous. Mike chattered all day as they continued hiking, pointing out birds and animals below. Several times, Leo landed next to a berry bush or fruit tree and ate something. Mike didn't mind; he got to stretch his legs. And they'd be able to catch up to Donnie and Raph without a problem.

Leo was definitely growing; by the time they landed, Mikey stood eight inches shorter than Leonardo, who was in pain from the rapid expansion now. His arms, legs, and sides showed stretch marks caused by the growth. Once they landed, Donnie insisted that he eat a lot and rest up for the next day. They had made it to where Leo wanted to go, in a beautiful clearing, but it was too dark to see anything, so Leo complied and ate like he hadn't been snacking all day.

Then, he flopped own and stretched out his wings, which looked pale in the little moonlight they reflected, making them look silvery instead of their regular deep black. Mike sat next to him and used a soft cloth from Donnie's pack as he rubbed oil from Leo's wing bones into the membrane. Leo purred until Mike was done, which took about two hours since his brothers were out gathering fire wood and berries and fruits that were ripe now.

"Thanks, Mike," Leo whispered as Mikey moved off to rinse the cloth in the nearby stream.

"No problem, bro!" Mike said exuberantly. "After all, you carried me on your shell all day. You need some rest, dude!" Leo nodded tiredly and lifted a wing invitingly. It was cold out, at least to the cold-blooded turtles. At least Leo's wings were warm, though Donnie didn't know why. He surmised that they were like thermal blankets that took energy – like from the sun all day – and stored it in numerous blood cells. Or they were warm-blooded, unlike the rest of their host.

Mike snuggled close to Leo's side, the wings closing until it covered him fully in a leathery embrace. Fascinated, Mike reached up and stroked the wing, which caused it to shudder and Leo to chuckle.

"That tickles!" he admonished. As Mikey's eyes lit up, Leonardo groaned in realization. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he thought to himself as Mike attacked his wings with a fervor. "Hey, cut that out!" Leo demanded between giggles of laughter. "Or I'll kick you out from under there."

Mike gulped and thought of the cold air outside. He didn't want to sleep without the warmth of Leo next to him, so he stopped tickling his brother and quieted down. Strangely, Leo seemed to curl around him, his strong arm draped over's Mike's shell as they both lay on their plastron.

_Like a dragon mother,_ Mikey realized, recognizing the posture from the mythical creatures books he had read a few months ago when he was tired of magazines. He'd found a dragonology book in a dumpster and flipped through. The pictures were just as good as the ones in comics, and he started collected ever since.

Leo started rumbling in his sleep, too, and Mike felt warm and safe. _I wonder if this is what it is like to be a dragonet sleeping with its mother? I feel so good… _Mike fell asleep, curling close to Leonardo like a dragonet would, to get a response he anticipated as Leo's tail wrapped itself around his ankle, keeping him close and unable to escape.

That's how Donnie and Raph found them, both shivering slightly from the chilly air. Raph grumped, but inside he was thinking, _They look so peaceful. And warm. It's cold out here._

Grumbling, Raph dropped his load of firewood near their other pile and settled himself onto the ground. Don was already asleep, using Leo's still-outstretched wing as a blanket. Raphael looked at the three sleeping peacefully and finally threw his hands in the air. _What the shell?_

Then, miracle of miracles, Raph put himself under Leo's wing as well, and his body warmed up immediately. Their leader was curled around Mike, but his wing snapped closed on Raph and Don, covering them like a blanket and heating their chilled skin.

"Hm. This is warm. I can see why Mikey likes it so much," Donnie mused, lying on his plastron like the rest of them but twiddling with the wing claw in front of him.

Raph smiled and slept, his dreams peaceful and unremarkable.


	17. Meditation and Rebrith

The next morning, Leo woke up first

The next morning, Leo woke up first. His first impression was that he was strung out like a piece of laundry to dry. However, he felt and heard his brothers under his wings, keeping warm in the chilly air.

Smiling, he looked down at Mikey, who was sleeping peacefully, his face serene. Leo felt something stir, and realized that it was his new dragon instincts to protect them, especially the youngest. Unwrapping his tail and pulling in his wings, letting the cool air wake him up more and start rousing his brothers, Leonardo sat up and then climbed to his feet. He was very, very hungry, but as he looked around, the beauty of this clearing left his hunger in second place in his thoughts.

Straight trees surrounded them, both aspens and needle-leaf trees here. The grass beneath his feet was soft and a healthy, lush, bright green. There was a stream nearby, just at the edge of the small meadow, and overhead the sky was bright, unsullied blue with a few pure white clouds. The sun was just rising to the east, shining brightly on the horizon.

Leo turned a full circle and breathed in deeply. The wet, "soft" smell of morning dew made him inhale deeply again just to taste it and imprint it in his memory. It was a refreshing change from city air, which was polluted, or sewer air, which was rank, stinky, and damp in a bad way, not like this kind of damp.

"Murf," his youngest brother "said". Smiling, Leonardo beat his wings to drive cool air over his three drowsing brothers, waking them up efficiently.

"Wake up!" he said calmly, waving away Raph's dagger-throwing stare. "It's time for breakfast and then we start our day meditating."

Mike jumped to his feet and started preparing some food while Leo stretched his wings. They were sore from lying open all night, but he soon worked it out and was sitting down comfortably with his brothers in a silence that engulfed them nicely. It was oatmeal again, but Leo wasn't complaining. Anything would taste good now!

Donnie noticed and smiled. Leo now stood almost ten inches taller than Michelangelo; you could basically _watch_ him grow right before your eyes!

"So, what're we doin' after breakfast?" Raph growled. He was a "morning bear", and deserved the name. NO ONE woke Raph before he was ready to get up and lived, except Leonardo. He seemed to be the exception to every rule in Raph's book, except for a few that were just his personality shining through.

"Meditating. We can hopefully reach Him here easier than in the lair. If you can't, just do something quiet and far away until I come back, with a soul, perhaps."

Mike winced and cuddled closer to Leo, wrapping himself further in his elder brother's wing, scared of what Leo might be like with a soul. Would he blue eyes look different? Would he act differently? What if his soul was like Raph's; closed and personal? What if it was like him? Would he be pushed from his place as family jokester and prankster? Or could his soul be as curious as Donatello?

In all, would he be the same, loving, doting brother? Or would he be completely different? Would it be for better or worse? Would his body reject his soul? Would he _die_?

Mike felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up into Leo's eyes. He had never noticed before, but you could tell they were not lit from an inner fire, but from the force that kept Leo from sharing this bit of information with his family before this.

"I'll be fine," Leonardo promised, nudging his wings out to grab Don and Raph and pull them into a hug. "We'll get through this together."

"Together," Mikey repeated, hugging his older brother tightly. Don's eyes shone as he reached over Mikey to clench Leo's hand in his own, letting his brother know he was there for him as he always was. Even grouchy Raphael slapped Leo's shoulder, communicating through that simple touch that he loved and believed in Leo, too.

Overwhelmed, Leo wrapped his wings tighter around his brothers, then loosened them and moved his knees and legs into the Lotus Position. Mike sat next to him, their knees brushing, and did the same. Across the fire, Don and Raph's knees touched and they closed their eyes at the same time.

Leo's mind was the first to wander. He waited on the broad astral plane for his brothers' minds. Once they were all gathered, Leo "nodded" and led them to the next step, dipping deeper into his meditating state. From there on out, he could not stop. He had to reach the Ninja God, and if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to do it.

Finally, he reached the soul-filled plane that marked the Ninja God's home. He felt a presence seek him out and was not surprised when his mind was pulled to the center of the plane, where the Ninja God waited for him.

_Ah, Leonardo,_ a voice said to his mind. _Your Sensei has made a deal with me. I will give you back your soul, but you must promise to come to me the minute you violate our deal. Are we agreed?_

_We are, _Leo answered, bowing deeply.

_Very well. Open your mind to me and I will do the rest._

_Thank you. _Leo bowed deeply again and released the barriers that kept him safe from the wandering souls in this forsaken plane.

­­­"Leo!"

Leonardo woke up to see his brothers leaning over him, looking at him happily and apprehensively. His memory came back and Leo smiled, shaking his wings out from their cramped place on his back.

"I'm back," he said softly, feeling like he was actually alive again, like when he was young. "Did anyone make it?"

"No," Mike answered unhappily.

"That's okay," Leo insisted, hugging his littlest brother. "I am fine and in one whole piece again."

"Okay." Mikey threw his arms around Leo, squeezing him tightly. "Now, let's head home. I'm starving!"

"Me, too," Leo said, smiling. "Master Splinter will want to hear news of our success."

Mikey nodded enthusiastically and gathered up their supplies. It was a downhill run, and Leo was sure they could make it in two days even though they were leaving almost at noon.

Raph was silent, watching for any character change in his brother. However, he saw none all that afternoon, and it only became apparent that night, when Leonardo was settling down to sleep again. Mike and Don were under his wings again, and Leo was wincing from the pain in his bones because of his rapid growth.

Raph watched amazed as Leo slept half on his side and half on his plastron, bending around Mikey protectively, even more so than he had last night. His tail was also wrapped around their jokester's ankles, keeping him still and unable to escape.

Raphael shrugged; if Leo wanted to act like a mother dragon, he was free to do so. Mike had told them all he knew about dragons when Leo was asleep during the ride over here; he was now their expert on the care and keeping of magical creatures. Mikey dubbed himself "Leo's Handler", though their eldest had yet to find out, so it seemed.

The bond was growing between those two; Mikey often glanced at their flying brother above them happily during their hike in the day's warm sun. Raph even caught Leo watching Mike from time to time.

_If he could, and was big enough, Leo'd curl around Mike that that mother dragon does in that book of Mikey's,_ Raph mused, thinking how funny that would be to photograph.

Eventually, he, too fell asleep, waiting for early morning when they would rise before the sun and head for home.

Master Splinter was waiting for them when Don, Raph, and Mikey came out of the woods. Leonardo had flown ahead, their packs in his makeshift carrier, and talked to Master Splinter, explained their success.

Indeed, Raph fancied that he saw tears on the rat's cheeks, but decided not to comment. Leo was crouching on the porch roof, thinking hard by the look of it.

"Sensei," Don said respectfully, bowing slightly to their father and mentor. Master Splinter inclined his head and looked at all three.

"Your brother is back," he said simply, glancing up at Leo's outline against the bright blue sky. Leonardo looked down and caught his glance and smiled gently, then looked back up at the horizon.

"See anything?" Don called out of worry.

"I don't think so," Leo answered. "I think it's just a jet. But it's flying pretty low. Here, come on up and take a look. I can't really see it that well with this blacked-out mask on."

"Okay," Donnie agreed, grabbing the wing tip offered him from above. He was pulled effortlessly onto the shingles with his brother, who was staring intently to the west.

"Over there. Twelve and fifteen minutes, probably. It's something like a jet…" Leo looked at Don as the purple-banded turtle pulled out his binoculars and sighted on the metal contraption headed their way.

"Commercial air plane," he called to those below. "It is flying low, though. And it seems as though there is smoke trailing from one engine. Here, Leo, take a look."

Leo looked through the magnifying glasses and gasped. The plane, to his eyes, was on fire! Or at least, one wing was. It was smoking and fire was leaping on its length.

"We've got to help them!" he said determinedly, giving the binoculars back to their owned and grabbing him around the waist. Carefully, he dropped them both to the ground, his wings only half open.

"What's it look like we're gettin' ready to do, O Winged One?" Raph asked crossly, strapping a harness on, though where he'd gotten three of them, Leo was not sure. "Can you fly all three of us in close and then drop us on it to put out the flames?"

"Yes," Leo answered. "But I can't take off with all three of you on my back."

"Got that solved," Donnie answered, bringing out a sled-like thing that had a harness attached to it. "I made this in case you had to lift any of us."

"Great!" Leo said, stepping over and helping Donnie strap him into the harness that distributed the weight of his brothers over his entire body.

"Wow!" Mike said, putting a few fire-extinguishers on the "sled". "We look like we're ready for anything."

"I hate it when you say that," Raph growled, attaching safety ropes directly to Leo's harness so that, if they did fall off, Leo would be able to catch them with the ropes latched onto his harness.

"Let's go! We're prepared for anything!"

"You're just trying to jinx this," Raph grouched. "I know it." But Mikey just smiled happily.


	18. Planely Trouble Part 1

Leonardo smiled as he let Donnie check over the harness again

Leonardo smiled as he let Donnie check over the harness again. Mike and Raphwere sitting happily on the sleigh, and Donnie was ready to join them as soon as Leo was checked out completely. When he was seated, Leo drove his wings down and shot into the air. The harness was easy to fly with, and Leonardo got his wings under him before swooping in low at Raphael who held the cables that would let him lift the sleigh.

He caught them unerringly as Raphthrew them at him. Deftly clipping each one into its bracket, Leo drove his wing harder, preparing for the weight of his brothers and gear on the sled to be added to the weight he had to fly with.

He lurched backwards as the sled came off the ground with a scream from Mikey. However, his wings were up to the task and they pulled all four turtles into the air effortlessly, or nearly. Leo got to a high altitude on a thermal and glided towards the plane, knowing that flapping all the way there was not practical.

"How is it down there?" he called down, keeping his eyes on his target. "We're five minutes out."

"We're great," Mike insisted. "Raph's a little airsick, though."

Sure enough, the red-banded turtle was leaning over the edge of the sled, wiping the remains of his regurgitated lunch from his mouth.

"How're you doing?" Donnie asked worriedly, clutching onto the ropes supporting the sled. Mikey was right at home, though, walking up and down the sled carefully. His shifting weight was bothersome to Leonardo, but Mike stopped before Leo could ask him to do so.

"Good," he answered Donnie, looking worriedly at Raph. "What about Raph?"

"I think he'll get used to it," Mikey laughed, sitting in the middle of the sled to keep it balanced.

"If we do much more of this," Raph's gravelly voice said, "we are _so_ getting a chopper! Leo can fly himself, and Mikey can go with him, but I will _not_ do this again."

"Spoil sport!" Mike stuck out his tongue at Raphael, who merely turned greener and shut his eyes tightly.

Donnie looked thoughtful. "We _do_ have a helicopter, from Bishop, remember? I could get it working and tamper with it so it doesn't send out signals to that monster."

"Please do," Raphgroaned, spewing more junk from his mouth. Mike just chuckled and looked up at his older brother, then westward. The plane was big in their vision, and Leo was driving his wings down, ready to drop his brothers above the wing so they'd hit it gently while he went inside and made sure no one was hurt. It was risky, but everyone knew that he was the best to deal with such a thing. Mikey would probably make too many jokes and get distracted, Donnie would be too caught up trying to find out what had happened from the pilots, and Raph… Mike shuddered to think of what their hotheaded brother might do if called a freak. He _hated_ that word, even more than the rest of them. Mikey was curious why, but didn't think he wanted to find out.

"Get ready to drop!" Leo called out, hand hovering above the Master Release that would drop the sleigh onto the wing now below them.

"Ready!" Donnie called back as Mikey dragged Raph back to the middle, with Don close to the center as well.

"Deploy!" Leo shouted, telling them to brace themselves. He slapped the Master Release and the cables let go of his harness. The loss of weight caused his wings to over compensate and sent him higher. His brothers landed safely on the wing, though Raph was still greener than normal. His rich, deep green skin was paler, too.

Leo looked at the plane below him and found the best entrance. Something had torn a hole through the side, and it was partially blocked; someone was still alive, and had ha the wits to block the hole.

Bending his wings and body for that space, Leo pushed his arms ahead of his to take the impact on the trunks barricading his way into the plane's interior passenger compartment. He crashed through and flared his wings to the screams of many humans. The plane wasn't that wide, though, and Leo crashed clumsily into the wall on the other side of the machine, his hands stinging from the impact. However, he was soon on his feet and looking at a crowd of humans who stared back at him.

_I hope they don't have cameras,_ Leo wished suddenly. He folded his wings regally and bowed slightly, hoping this action would calm them down a little. Stress levels here were running high, too high for him to do much but hold out his hands to show that he meant no harm.

"I come in peace," he said carefully. _If Mikey was here, he'd be cracking up,_ Leo thought wistfully.

The humans stared at him, hardly breathing. He held still, knowing that they could overpower him easily since he wouldn't fight back. Consciously, Leonardo kept his posture comforting and relaxed, as if they weren't on a plane with a burning wing.

"My name is Leonardo. Hamato Leonardo," he said, pointing to himself slowly. "I am here to help you."

"Want do you want, freak?" a brash young man asked, stepping forward.

Leo sighed but took a small step forward. He was surprised that the man didn't step back, but advanced meaningfully. Leonardo gave ground and held up his hands again.

"I am a mutant, not a freak," he explained quietly. "And you humans are in trouble."

"Trouble you probably put us in!" another called out, his voice wavering with fright.

"No," Leo said. "I did not do this. My brothers and I saw your plane from our post. We do not know what has happened, but we are here to help. They are trying to contain the fires right now. I have come here to learn if there are any injured."

"Yes," a quavering woman's voice spoke softly. She stepped forward, and Leo saw that she was young and holding a child in her arms. The child was crying, but soundlessly. "My daughter was hit by a piece of metal."

"Would you permit me to help her?" Leo asked carefully, putting one hand on his plastron over his harness. "I will not harm her."

The woman bit her lip but nodded and came forward. Leonardo matched her step by step, keeping his massive wing closed to make him look like less of a threat. He knew some first aid, but if this was anything serious, he'd get Don to help.

However, it wasn't all that bad, just messy. The girl was bleeding, and as the woman set her gently down, Leo extended a wing to cradle her in. The woman gasped as he pulled her towards him, but he kept his eyes locked on hers, letting her know that he was not hurting her child. Only when she relaxed a little did he look down and examine the child's chest.

A small piece of metal had hit her in the right breast, and it was bleeding sluggishly. Carefully, Leo reached into his back secured between his wings and pulled out wrapping gauze and some soft wiping cloths.

As he cleaned and dressed the wound, using his sharp horns to tear the fabric because he had not brought scissors and didn't want to take out his katana still strapped under his pack. Soon, the child stopped crying and looked up at Leonardo warmly. He smiled down at her and put a finger in her hand to squeeze as he looked up at her mother.

"She will be fine," he said strongly, letting his words lose the comforting touch they had earlier. "It was mostly just messy." He extended his wing and she took her child back carefully, smiling thankfully at Leo. "Are there any other injured?"

"Yes," the young man said, reassured that Leo meant no harm. "But one is in terrible danger of losing a limb. Can you help him?"

Leo bit his lip. He could try, or he could get Donnie. Mentally, he brushed Don's mind and sent an impulse for non-urgent help. Until Don found a way to him, Leo would have to try to help the human.

"I can only try. One of brothers is on his way to help, too. He's the real doctor," Leo answered. "Can you being the injured here?"

Without a word, ten of the middle-aged men went to the back of their group and picked up some prone humans. Leo saw immediately the one he had to help.

The elderly man was bleeding heavily from a gaping wound in his shoulder. Swiftly, Leo moved forwards, his wings extending slightly to heat up the surrounding air so the elder wasn't so cold.

"Hold on, sir, and I'll see what I can do," he said reassuringly. Leo winced as he looked over the wound; this man was badly hurt. Metal ha cut clean through half of the arm, and it looked like he would have to cut it off. However, he did stem the bleeding and was ready to call for Donnie again when a form thumped into the cabin quietly. Leo extended a wing to help his brother over to him in the lighted cabin and looked at the humans.

"This is Donatello," he said simply. "He's the doctor in our family." Then Leonardo turned to Don. "Don, this man's arm is in need of help. I've staunched the bleeding. How's it going out there?"

"Not good, Leo," Don said loudly, kneeling next to the man and looking at the wound carefully. "Put your pack down and move on to the others. I'll take care of this one."

"Okay." Leo shifted to kneel next to a young man of about seventeen. He was gazing at Leo fearfully, and the mutant smiled reassuringly. "What's you name?"

"Steve."

"Okay, Steve, where were you hit?"

"Leg," he mumbled. Leo looked down and saw a stick of metal sticking out of the teenager's thigh.

"I'm gonna have to pull it out. Do you have some friend here?" Leo looked up, but no one came forward. "Very well. Here. If it hurts, just squeeze my wing and try not to cry out. My hearing is too good for its own good." Leo smiled ruefully as the teenager chuckled carefully and grabbed a firm grip on Leo's wing tip.

Leo smiled back and pulled the spike from the human's leg as quickly as he could. His wing was tugged on as the man gasped and clenched his fist, but the male didn't scream.

"Great job. Now I'll just clean this one and we'll see to it the rest are taken care of." Leo did so neatly and then tied a bandage around the young man's leg and helped him stand up and gave him to a person who was willing to sit him back down and give him some water to drink.

Leo went along to the other five injured and helped them, pulling out two more metal spikes and splinting one kid's broken ankle as best he could without a proper splint or cast.

Then, he looked over at Donnie who was still cleaning out the old man's arm wound so there was nothing left inside when he sewed it up cleanly.

Leo went over to help and knelt next to Don silently.


	19. Planely Trouble Part 2

"Here, Leo, cauterize this for me, will you

"Here, Leo, cauterize this for me, will you?" Don asked, not looking up but pointing to a nasty gash in the man's muscle. Leonardo frowned but complied, taking a deep breath and blowing a fine stream of fire onto the wound. The man writhed and Leo coughed, cutting off the stream.

"Holy &!" a man breathed, jumping away as Leo straightened again, coughing slightly from the fumes in his mouth.

"I'm good from here, Leo. Can you ask Raph and Mikey how it's goin'?" Don asked, in a voice that carried to let the humans know that there were two more of them. "And tell them not to touch any wires! This plane's still active, and it could zap 'em something fierce."

"Will do," Leo promised, standing up and focusing on Raph's mind. It was calm and cool, and when he pushed a query to him, Raph responded that they were good there. The fire was out and they just needed Don to rewire it and the pilots should be able to fly it for a short distance.

"Don," Leo said quietly, not wanting to interrupt the working turtle. "The fire's out and they're heading inside. We just need you to rewire it and then the pilots can fly this sucker to the nearest landing strip."

"The pilots are dead," a flat voice said. The teenager who had stood up to Leo before stepped forward. "When our wing caught fire, so did the cockpit. Their bodies couldn't be found."

"Oh shell," Leo cursed as Raph and Mikey came in the door.

"Hey, Leo cursed!" Mikey laughed. "That can't be good."

"What's up, O Winged One?" Raph asked, coming to stand next to his brother and looking at the teenager. "Don't try anything, bucko."

"Raph, calm down. This is apparently their leader. The pilots are dead, or at least missing. Mike, see if you can get up front and figure out what happened. Raph, check the cargo hold. See if there's something in there we can use to contact April or Casey. I'll get Master Splinter on the Shell Cell."

Mikey grinned and walked through the crowd, who shrunk back from the turtle with suspicious glances at all four brothers.

"Alright, Leo," Raph grumbled, heading for the back of the plane. He kicked down the door to the cargo hold beneath and disappeared. Leo flipped open his Shell Cell and dialed Master Spinter's number.

It rang once and then Master Splinter's face appeared. "What button do I press to answer this call?" the rat wondered to himself, though by flipping it open he had already. Leo smiled and looked with favor at his Sensei.

"You already have, Master Splinter," he said holding the cell out so he was sure Master Splinter would see his surroundings.

"Ah, yes. You are still on the plane?"

"_Hai,_ Sensei." Leo answered. The humans were looking at him oddly. "The pilots are apparently dead. Don's helping a man regain use of his right arm, Raph's looking for a radio or something in the cargo hold, and Mikey's searching for clues about what happened here."

"Very good."

"I called to let you know we'll be back probably at dawn. I'll call you if anything new happens." Leo bowed his head slightly.

"Good. Thank you for helping these humans, Leonardo. Are there many injured?"

"Not too many, and we've been able to fix them all but one who nearly lost his arm. Donnie's working on him."

"Very well. I shall see you four at dawn."

"_Hai,_ Sensei," Leo murmured, closing the Shell Cell and turning to Don. "Master Splinter says "good work"."

"I heard," Donnie chuckled, keeping his eyes on the needle he was using to suture the man. Mikey could be heard whistling as he moved about in the cabin and a curse from downstairs followed by rapid thumping announced that Raph had found a bug.

"Alright, humans, we're trying to get someone on the radio who can help you. Until then, please sit tight." Leo said, gesturing to the seats still intact. "Don, I'm going to run a quick scan on the wing. Can I borrow your scanner?"

"Sure thing." Don flipped him the device and Leo strapped it to his chest. It was designed to be operated from the shell or plastron, since they didn't often have both hands free, especially Donnie. "Just be sure to return it."

"Sure thing," Leo smiled, walking over to the hole in the wall and jumping out to the gasps of many of the humans. He saw many young children heads peeking at him through the windows as he landed on the wings and tucked his wings in, knowing that a stray current could rip him right from the plane and push him farther away than he wanted to be.

He turned the scanned on and looked around, letting the thing look for broken wires or malfunctions. It was Donnie's latest invention, and Leo was glad he had it. It was very high-tech, but Don had made it simple to use, really.

He got a plan of the wing etched onto the screen and then turned back towards the main body of the place and attached his climbing hooks to his hands and crawled over to the doorway. The winds ripped at his wings, but he kept them closed and soon swung into the mostly-silent interior. He noticed that Don was shivering slightly and only then realized that it was really cold in here; the humans were all wearing heavy coats.

Leo knelt by down and wrapped his right wing around his brother to warm him. Donnie glanced up in thanks as his hands stilled and he continued sewing. From below came another crash followed by a bellow of surprise. _Probably a spider,_ Leo chuckled to himself. Raphael didn't admit it, but he was terrified of any and all bugs and arachnids. Nothing was worse than being teased about it, though, so Leo kept Mikey out of the secret.

"Leo, we got a radio up here!" Mikey called from the cockpit. "I think you should talk to the humans."

Leo reached over and grabbed a light blanket from the upended chair next to him, draping it over Don in his wing's place. Then he stood up and moved carefully through the crowd towards the cockpit.

Mikey was holding out a set of headphones and mike to him as Leo walked in through the destroyed door. It was a mess inside, but not too bloody. If the pilots had been killed, they'd been sucked out before much blood got over everything.

Leo put on the headphones and stepped over to the console, twisting the dial until he found the frequency of the nearest air port. He gave a thumbs-up to Mikey, who flipped the switch indicating that they had a live feed to a personnel at the air port.

"Plane Z83N12 from Denver, Colorado, you are far off course," a feminine voice admonished. "Are you in trouble?"

"Yes," Leo answered. "I am a civilian. Our pilots have been killed. They are not in the cockpit. Our wing caught fire but it was put out. We have several injured."

"Is there anyone among your crew who can fly?" she asked, amazingly calm. Leo admired her; how many humans would or could be so still at a time like this?

"No," Leo said flatly. He didn't want to bring Don into this, and besides, they'd have to bail before the plane landed. "But the entire passenger section has suffered trauma, and some are unconscious, so I'm not entirely sure. Let me get someone who can help you. I've got a badly bleeding arm. Can you talk him through landing the plane?"

"Only if the cockpit is in reasonable working condition," the woman warned. "Otherwise, we'll send out a couple of planes who can rope you and set you down."

"It's workable, I think. The wing's busted, though."

"That's okay," she assured him. "Fetch this man and I'll take him through it." She sounded like she'd done this before. Leo wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but he gave the headphones to Mikey and warned him to stay off of them until he got back. Then he went into the passenger compartment.

"Is there anyone here willing to try to land this behemoth?" Leo asked. "A woman will talk you through it."

"I will try," a flight attendant offered. "I've worked around planes to know a lot about the cockpit, even if I've never flown one." She shrugged, but gasped when Leo grabbed her arm gently and brought her into the cockpit. Mikey smiled and gave her the headphones, holding the back of the main pilot's seat like he would pull out the chair for her.

She pulled the set on and started speaking to the woman. Leo quickly gave the signal to Mike that they should leave silently, and both trooped back into the passenger cabin as Raph came up from the bowels of the ship, cursing like he'd stepped in something sour.

"Raphael!" Leo barked, cutting the string of cussing short as Raph looked up suddenly, not realized he was talking out loud. "What've you found? We're almost ready to get out of here."

"A radio, but I'm not sure it works," he said quickly, handing Leo a receiver. "I don't know if we can get April and Casey but it might be worth the try."

"Okay. I'll see if Don's done. Otherwise, I'll do it." Leo lumbered off towards Donatello, who was cleaning his hands with some sanitizer and packing his things away.

"Done?"

"Almost, Leo," Don answered without looking up. "We're leaving soon, I take it?"

"Yes." There was another crash in the background as Raph jumped at Mikey, who was probably teasing him about the thumps and crashes they'd all heard. Squeals came from Mikey as they tumbled into the cargo cabin.

"Let me guess. You've got a radio and you're wondering if I can get it tuned to April and Casey's Shell Cell?"

"Yep," Leo chuckled. "I can do it, too, if you want."

"Please. I'm still seeing cross-eyed from that stitching. Just let me put this back on you."

Leo nodded and knelt so Don could easily put his pack back between his wings and Leo connected the radio – which had a greater range than their Shell Cells – to his Shell Cell. Then he tuned them until he found a ringing sound.

"April here. What's up, Leo?" a grinning red-head asked. However, she screamed in fright. Leo had forgotten to turn off the visual.

**A/N: Please review! I love criticism. This is my first story, and I though I might add a little incentive to review. How's it going so far? Cliffhanger, I know. But I just typed five chapters in one night and really didn't feel like going on. Is it getting too long? I can end it now, but I've got another plan coming up. Please review, again!**


	20. Emily

"L-Leo

"L-Leo!" April gasped. Casey could be heard running over to her side and his face appeared suddenly.

"Dude! You're all… winged!"

"Yes, thank you," Leo said, stroking his wing absently. "Listen, I'll tell you all about it later, but we have a bit of a problem. No, it's not that I'm winged," he interrupted as Case was about to speak. "We are currently on a plane that was recently on fire with several injured humans. We've bandaged them up and are about to leave, but thought we might contact you first. We're quite a ways from the farm. Could you come on up?"

"Sure thing, Leo!" Casey cried. "I wanna see ya, bro! Where's Raph?"

"Somewhere pummeling Mikey," Leo said dryly. "Listen, I gotta go. Meet us near the highway near the airport. I want to make sure they land okay. Oh, and please don't be frightened. Nothing's happened to me, really, except for a few minor – okay, major – changes. Don'll tell you all about it."

"Okay!" April said enthusiastically. "See you there in a few hours."

"Yes. Bye." Leo hung up and disconnected the line. Don was standing to his side, leaning in closely to listen in on the conversation. He was also wrapped in one of Leo's wings. They shared a glance before hearing Mikey come up the stairs quickly, followed by Raph's angry footsteps.

Mikey hid under Leo's wing again and Raph huffed at him. "Are we leaving, O Winged One?" Raph asked loosely. "And did you get Casey on the phone?"

"Yep. He said that you were to treat Mikey like gold." Raph snorted disbelievingly. "Alright, maybe not. But we're gonna make sure these people land safely and then we'll meet them by the highway." Leo turned to the humans, who watched him fearfully, but relaxed as well. Suddenly, a young girl of about ten ran forward and hugged Leo around the arm.

"Thanks for saving us, Mister!" she said quickly. "And you guys, too!"

"No problem, kiddo!" Mikey said, rubbing her hair. She giggled and looked at his harness and nunchucks warily.

"Are you ninjas?" she asked, petting Leo's rough skin on his arms.

"Yes," Leonardo answered. "We're teenage mutant ninja turtles!"

"And the Winged One," Raph sniggered. Leo shot him a glare but smiled just the same, listening as the girl chattered away with half an ear hole.

"Don, can you help the woman up front?" Leo asked. "Raph, Mikey, you can help me block this hole up a bit more. We'll leave by the emergency exits this time; the currents around that hole are too messy for me to stay close to the plane long enough to clip into the sled."

"Right, Leo." Raph looked behind him at the cargo hold. "There's some thick tarps down there that'd be perfect for it. Mike, let's grab those while Leo dislodges himself."

"Okay," Mikey accepted. Leo turned back to the young girl who was actually asleep in his wing, snuggled against it like it was her own bedding. He turned a pleading eye on the adults; he knew nothing about children!

"Here," a middle-aged woman said, coming forward. "Emily, time to wake up!" The young girl blinked sleepily and looked around, then smiled at Leo, who grinned back.

"Mister, why do you have a black and blue mask?" she asked suddenly. Her mother was about to reprimand her but Leo waved her apologies away.

"Because I am different, even for a mutant," Leo answered, reaching up and untying the mask. He let it fall away and opened his eyes so the girl could see the red slits that had once been black pupils in a sea of blue. She gasped and lightly touched his cheek.

"You look like a dragon-turtle," she giggled.

"I am," he answered, putting the mask back on. "See?" He wrapped his tail around his ankles and tickled her with it. She grabbed it, laughing, and stroked the scales.

"You're a guardian angel," she whispered, nuzzling his wing joint with her forehead.

Leo merely smiled and gave her a gentle push so she'd get off of his wing, which was starting to ache from holding everything he had up in the past hour or so.

Emily returned to her mother and Leo tightened his mask as his brothers came up the stairs, lugging a couple of thick tarps and bickering.

"Enough," Leo said calmly. "Let's get those secured."

"Fine, O Winged One."

"What's with the nickname?" Leo asked, shaking out one tarp and putting it up to the hole. Mike came in and stapled it down securely.

"Well, Fearless doesn't work because you're a dragon-turtle, so you can't be expected to not be fearless. I said that right, right?"

"Yeah," Mikey laughed. "Which just so happens to be a first. If only I had a camera!"

"Watch it, Dragonet," Raph growled.

"So, now I'm being called a baby dragon?" Mikey teased. "What does that make you? A cave troll, that's what!"

"I oughta!"

"Do what? Kill me?"

"Sure! Great idea!" and they set off back down into the cargo hold, Mikey running from an angry Raph. Leo chuckled and shook his head, holding up the next tarp. However, he didn't have Mikey to staple it.

_Well, let's see if this tail can do anything._

Leo picked up the stapler and squeezed the trigger. It sent a staple into the tarp and through to the metal. Silently congratulating himself, Leo kept stapling until it was firm and secure to his liking.

Then he turned back to the humans. "Okay, this'll hold for now. Remember, don't hit or lean on it; it's only a tarp held down by staples. How are the injured doing?"

"Good," the teenager in charge said. "I… uh… I didn't properly introduce myself."

"You're forgiven. We don't meet many humans, really, but hardly any groups we have come across actually listen to us."

"Well, my name's Steve Martin. Nice to meet you. Thanks for saving our skin!" they shook hands, and Steve, to his credit, didn't flinch when he came in contact with the cool reptilian scales that covered Leo now.

"I, as I told you, am happy to help, as are my brothers."

"So, where do you base from? You mentioned something like that."

"That I can't tell you. We've got enemies, as you can probably understand."

"Yeah, I can. I was hoping to be a biologist when I grow up. Your brother, Donatello, was it? He's really smart, and that scanner I saw looks very high-tech."

"That's Donnie; a turtle centuries ahead of his time," Mike chuckled, coming up. "Leo, Raph's been cornered by a spider. He doesn't want me to kill it, though, said you oughta see it. It's a nasty little bugger."

"Alright. Check on Don, and I'll be right back."

"Can you make the spider bite him?" Raph growled when Leo came down to the cargo hold. Indeed, he was sitting on a crate far from the little white spider that seemed to watch him.

Leo knew of Raph's intense fear of bugs, and sympathized. Leonardo himself _hated_, as Raph put it, heights. He'd been trained out of it, but Raph didn't let anyone know about his phobia.

"Here." Leo picked the spider up, Raph wincing behind him, and deposited it gently on another place. Sighing, Raph jumped down and strutted by Leo, heading upstairs. Emily was waiting, giggling furiously.

"What?" Leonardo asked, glancing at Raph.

"He's a turtle scared of bugs!" she said laughingly. "I thought turtles ate bugs!"

"Well, non-humanoid ones do sometimes, but we don't. We eat normal stuff, like pizza and salads and stuff." Leo bent down and hugged the little girl. "But we rarely eat meat. Now, you'll be landing soon. Why don't you sit down and buckle in? Where's your mother?"

"She's up front, with the nice lady who gave me a apple juice," burbled Emily. "Whatcha doin'?"

Leo was currently looking around, scanning the door outside for breaks or tears. "I'm making sure you're safe," he answered, opening his wings slightly. The girl jumped into the open folds.

"Snuggly-wuggly." Emily looked up at Leonardo. "Mister, are you a Guardian Angel?"

Now Leo was in a bind. How to answer that one? Thankfully, Mikey came to his rescue. Well, said something, anyway.

"No way, little dudette. He's too ugly to be a Guardian Angel," Mike laughed. "He's just a turtle with a big heart."

"And you're a turtle with a big mouth," Raph growled at Mike, swatting their brother over the head.


	21. Just Thoughts

"Alright

"Alright. Let's get ready to get outta here," Raph ordered, looking out the windows. Below, one could see the airport glowing softly. If they jumped now, they'd be able to parachute down with the sled. Don didn't want Leo tiring himself with carrying them again, and there were plenty of parachutes to carry them and the sleigh.

"You guys sure about this?" Leo asked again, his wings shuddering in agitation as he helped his brothers pack up for deployment. "You can't control parachutes. I could carry the litter again; I've just got to get it down to the ground."

"For the last time, Leo, no!" Don said, frustration coloring his voice. "Your wings need more strength before we can expect that of you twice in one day. Just get ready to open that door."

The humans were seated, buckled in, and waiting nervously for landing. One of the other flight attendants was serving drinks, and offered some to the turtles. As a result of high-sugar juice, Mikey was hyper.

"Can we go now? Huh? Can we?"

Actually, he was almost bouncing off the walls. Don was trying to calm him down, but he was at a loss. Raph couldn't smack him; Mikey was _way_ too bouncy and just rebounded off Raph anytime the red-wearing turtle got too close. Finally, Leo had wrapped Mikey up in a wing and held him still for a while, calming their over-hyper brother down. His mouth, unfortunately, was still rocketing.

"Please!?"

Leo sighed and put his hand on the door, ready to throw Mikey out first once it was open. Raph nodded and Leo yanked on the handle. The emergency exit lights flashed and the door slid into Leonardo, who was knocked backwards into the tarp, which barely held him. Shoving Mikey out roughly, the eldest watched carefully as all three of his wingless brothers descended into the night before three white parachutes announced that they were safe. Then he pushed out the sled, which they had brought in to attach parachutes to, and pulled the cords with his tail.

He looked at Emily, who was sitting backwards watching him. With a grin and a wave, he swung out into the night, holding onto the door frame for a moment and pulling the portal closed so no one could fall out. Then, he let go and dived for his brothers.

_Mikey!_ Leo saw his orange-banded turtle laughing and joking as he floated gently towards the hard earth below. Don and Raph were silent, probably watching for helicopters or an attack.

Leo sighed happily and flared his wings carefully to avoid another wrenched joint. Mike screamed a greeting and Raph rolled his eyes.

They landed without mishap, though Mikey flew into a tree and was left dangling until his brothers deemed it worthy to get him down, that being once he was out of his sugar high. From such a height, he crashed badly and fell asleep on his feet. Tenderly, Leo scooped him up in his wing and made sure their packs were undamaged.

"Let's find April and Case-man," Raph suggested, rolling his shoulders gently. "I'm hungry, and I can't wait to see their expression when they see Leo!"

"Hardy-har-har," Leonardo grumbled, extending a wing around his two brothers to warm them all. "Let's get moving."

"I like that idea. It's cold out here." Don snuggled further into Leo's warm wing, while Raphael backed out and turned to the trees around them.

"I'll keep watch," he said brusquely. Leo looked at him, worried, but when Raph leapt into the big oak next to them, he sighed and nodded. Don was almost asleep and though he argued, Leo told him to rest. He was strong enough to carry his little brothers, and since he'd grown another three inches, Donnie wasn't worried about straining him. He was more worried about Leo chomping on something not-good to eat, like a poisonous bush. _Or Mikey, _Don sniggered. _That'd give him indigestion at the least!_

­­­An hour later, Raph jumped down to see Leonardo watching the highway, a concerned look on his beak.

_Wonder what's up,_ Raphael thought to himself, twirling a Sai in agitation. "What's up, O Winged One?"

"Instincts," Leo whispered. "New instincts."

"From your dragon half?" Raph put away his Sai and lay a comforting hand on his leader's shoulder. Showing his rarely-seen compassionate side, Raph asked, "What?"

"It's just… I have this feeling that something bad is gonna happen. I keep thinking that I'll lose you. Somehow. Somewhen. Somewhere. I just can't shake this feeling."

"Vision?"

"No… put yourself in my wings, Raph. What would you be doing right now if you knew something bad was going to happen?"

"Probably storm around in a fit of rage because I can't find this trouble and kick its shell," Raph smiled.

"If you were me, a responsible leader who just got his soul back, what would you be doing?"

"Looking for answers." Realization dawned on Raph as he remembered how Leo had been acting towards Mikey. "You think we're gonna lose Mikey?"

"No! I think we're gonna lose something else… something far worse. But I can't figure out what."

"Then why've you adopted Mikey as your…"

"Dragonet?" Leo looked at the highway again. Donnie stirred in his wing and Mike grumbled in response. A loving grin creased Leo's face. "Because he's so innocent."

"Why not Donnie?"

"Mikey _seems_ like a dragonet to my dragon half. I've got this urge to protect him, and it's stronger than the one to protect all of you. I think we all do; remember when Mikey scraped his knee in the sewers?"

"You carried him all the way back on your shell, and Donnie wouldn't stop fussing. He said it'd be real easy for Mike to catch something through an open sore. I kept telling myself that it was my fault; I should have been watching out for him." Raph remembered that day well. They'd just been tots, almost five years old and barely able to run without tipping back to all fours.

"Yeah. The way he clung to my shell… Did you know that a dragonet stays with its mother for an entire decade before moving off to find a mate and life of its own?" Leo suddenly asked. "And that the mothers of dragonets are the sole caretakers; the males get too… rambunctious?"

"Whoa, bro. You lost me. I thought we were talking about Mikey and your recent "dragoness" attitude towards him." Was Leo avoiding the subject?

"I told you that because it _was_ relevant. To my dragon half, I should be the sole caretaker of Mikey. It keeps telling me to fly away with him so you and Donnie won't…"

"Hurt him? Get too rambunctious?"

"Yeah." Leo looked at the forest floor. "I can't shake either feeling, Raph."

"Maybe you shouldn't," he answered carefully. "If you have new instincts, learn them. Find out what they're telling you. Then learn to ignore some and trust others. That's what we had to do when we mutated. And Master Splinter had to overcome his hoarding behavior."

"He hasn't," Leo suddenly giggled. "I've found food stocks in his room several times."

Raph just stared; was this what Leo was really like? If so, it looked like he could give Mike a run for his money, judging by the glee in the winged turtle's posture. Since Raphael couldn't see his eyes, he didn't know what Leo was exactly thinking.

"Why do you still have your mask on?" Raph found himself asking. "Is it really too bright out here?"

"No. I just didn't think about taking it off. Hold on a moment." Leo untied his blue bandana and blinked, looking around. Then, he set his eyes on Raph. "Look at that. You're smaller."

"Dude, I'm not shrinking. You're a whole foot taller than Mikey now! And, by the way, your eyes are glowing." Raph was a little unnerved by that last; it looked like two demon eyes were staring at him.

"Hm. I can see perfectly. We'd better get ready to meet April and Casey. They should be here by now. Can you call them on your Shell Cell? I'll wake Donnie and Mikey."

"Sure thing, O Winged One." Raph sniggered at the bored expression on Leo's unmasked face as he pulled out his cell phone, courtesy of Don's genius with technology and machines, and called April on her regular cell phone, not the Shell Cell.

"April here. What's up?" No visual, unfortunately, but Raph could hear Casey talking to someone in the background and the care engine running lowly.

"It's Raph. We're ground-side and looking for some pickup. I'm almost dead on my feet."

"We're almost to the air port. Where are you specifically? I'll pick you up."

Raph looked around and noticed a sign. He gave the directions to April, who told him that they were on their way. Then he turned to see Donnie and Mikey stretching as Leonardo sat on a stump behind them, his eyes riveted on Mikey and Donnie. When Donnie slapped Mike in jest for a joke, Leo started and his upper beak pulled back almost into a snarl, but he calmed down with a visible effort. The two younger brothers didn't see, but Raph did. He was worried; what would happen in a fight?

Would Leo protect Mikey so much that Mikey would become dependent on him?


	22. Leo is Different

An hour later, April's car drove up and pulled over in the turn-out Leo had found

An hour later, April's car drove up and pulled over in the turn-out Leo had found. She was greeted by an enthusiastic Mikey, a quiet Raph (for once), and a thoughtful Donnie. As Casey got out of the car, April asked, "Where's Leo?"

Mikey stilled and silenced, then said, "I'll get him. Don, Raph?"

"We'll fill 'em in," Raph promised, clapping Mike's shoulder brotherly. "Go ahead." Mikey scampered off into the forest and Raphael turned to their human friends. "Leo's become half-dragon," he said blandly.

"W-What?" both April and Casey stammered. Don took up the tale.

"Yes. He's got a fifteen-foot wing span, has grown about a foot in height, has red, slitted eyes, horns, and a humongous appetite. The story is a long one, and one better kept for when we're warmer."

"Fifteen feet?" April gasped. "That's huge."

"And they need oiling every few days. Mike does that. He and Leo have really bonded over the last few weeks. Here they come now," Raph snickered. Indeed, a few bushes rustled and out stepped Leo.

April just barely held in a gasp; Leonardo was not the same. He was taller, with wings, a blacked-out mask, horns, scales, and a tail. He seemed… darker, too, and apprehensive. Also, to balance this, he seemed lighter, like he was full of life.

"Hey," April said weakly. "You look…"

"Different?" Leo chuckled. His voice was hoarse and deeper, too. "Yeah, I know."

"April, Casey, meet Leonardo, new and improved!" Mikey's voice said from Leo's wing, which was held slightly open. Casey strode forward.

"Mikey? You in there?"

"Yeah."

"Whatcha doin'?" Casey asked, poking Leo's wing.

"Keeping warm," came the reply. Leo opened his wing further and Mike's head appeared. "It's nice in here. And since I'm a reptile, I like this heat a lot!"

"Do you do that often?" April asked, sitting on the hood of her car and trying to organize her thoughts.

"Increasingly," Don assured her. "You see, with Leo's new instincts from his dragon half, Mikey looks – mentally and emotionally – to him like a dragonet. Leo, hence, is like a dragon_ess_, a female dragon. Specifically, in a very primal, instinctive way, Leo thinks Mikey is his dragonet."

"Not really," Leo protested. "My instincts to protect you all are heightened, not just Mikey."

"Yeah, whatevah. Let's beat it; I'm tired and hungry," Raph complained, yawning. "It's almost dawn."

"Raph, you and Don can ride home with April and Casey. I'll take Mikey and meet you there," Leo planned. "We'll see you there."

Raph nodded and opened the back door to the car as Mikey took off his and Leo's harnesses, since they didn't need to fly with them anymore. Don accepted them to carry back in the car, and April watched as Mike grabbed onto Leo's shell – having to jump to reach the top – and Leo opened his massive wings.

April gaped in wonder as the blue-wearing turtle drove his wings down and shot into the air. A noise of astonishment came from Casey as the wind buffeted them. Soon, the pair was lost to the darkness, and Raph was calling for them to leave. He was _hungry!_

­­­When they arrived at the farm house, April parked the car in the barn, careful to make it take up as little room as possible. The turtles used this barn as a recreational center and training dojo, and it would not be beyond them to try driving through an obstacle course.

When they got outside of the barn, Mikey was grinning at them and a delicious smell came from in the house.

"Where's O Winged One?" Raph asked, opening the faded door and heading for the kitchen.

"He's with Master Splinter. Come on!"

They walked into the kitchen and suddenly, a groaning sound came from above. Before they knew it, purple goo had coated all three turtle brothers. Casey was walking far enough behind to be exempt, and he laughed until he was red in the face.

"Mikey!" Raph growled, wiping the ooze from his eyes.

"It wasn't me!" Mikey protested, squealing as Don grabbed him. "I swear! Turtle honor! Bushido! You guys aren't going to believe me, huh?"

"No," Raph said, gathering a ball of the goo and advancing on the pinned Mike. "But this might make up for some of it." He stuffed the goo into Mikey's mouth and the orange-banded turtle's eyes bugged as he tried to spit it out. Raph let him, only because he didn't want Mike choking, and on released their brother.

"Maybe that'll keep ya from pranking us again!" Raph sneered. "Still, being caught in your own trap is probably pretty embarrassing."

"It wasn't me," Mike argued, spitting more goo out. His face darkened. "I think I know who. Follow me… silently."

Raph and Don looked at each other as Mike ascended the stair case, then shrugged and followed, far enough behind that any traps Mikey had laid would be broken by him first.

Urgently, Mike made the "silence" motion and beckoned them forward. He was standing at the door to Leo's room, and his face was caught in a mischievous grin. Then, he made a "listen" signal and carefully cracked open the door. Leo's deep chortle met their ears, and he seemed to be breathless in his laughter, as if he had had a laughing fit and was just getting control of himself.

Raph and Don leaned in as Leo stopped laughing and spoke to himself. "Boy, Leo, you sure got them good! And a double whammy; they blamed it on Mikey!"

The turtle brothers reared back in surprise; Leo had pranked them?! _Leo?!_

"Let's get him!" Raph whispered. Leo started chortling again, and Raph's temper blew. Before Mike or Don could stop him, he had burst through the door, intent on getting revenge for the joke played on him.

Mike and Don joined him in the room, which was dark. A lamp was standing nearby; Raph flicked it on, and a beam of light illuminated a recorder. Leo's chuckles were emanating from it.

"It's a-"

"Trap?" a lazy voice drawled above them. "Yeah, I suppose so. I didn't think you'd actually bust in here, Raph." All three were downed from a swipe of a wing from above them, and Leo landed lightly on his feet, wings out and glittering in the lamp light.

"You set this whole thing up?" Raph demanded, looking up at Leo. He stood up carefully, not wanting to be hit by the wing again. It packed a punch, to be sure.

"Yeah. And you walked right into my trap, like mice." Leo shifted and his tail flickered out, turning on the lights. "You look awful," he teased, eyeing the purple goop. "I didn't think it'd cling so much."

"I'll show you clinging!" Raph roared. Backed by Don and Mikey, he jumped Leo, whose wings snapped open. Mike and Donnie landed on them, their weight pulling Leo to the floor and pinning him there. Raph stood over him, grinning maliciously.

"Time for payback!"

Straddling Leo's plastron and holding down the elder's arms with his knees, Raph gathered another ball of slime.

"Hold him down!" he shouted as Leo bucked underneath him. Don, the smart turtle that he was, pushes Leo's wings out with the help of Mikey and tied them off so he couldn't use them. Then, he grabbed Leo's tail and held it still, so it couldn't hit anyone, and Mikey sat on his legs.

"Ooh, big bro, you should know better than to prank us!" Raph snickered, holding the slime ball up in triumph. He smothered Leo's face in it, causing the blue-banded turtle to struggle against him harder. However, he was sorely pinned and he knew it, so Leo went limp and suffered through.

Raph was satisfied; Leo was covered in goop, and was not about to prank them again. He, Mike, and Don stood back, letting their brother struggle against his restraints that held his wings out from him.

"Should we leave him?" Don asked evilly. Raph spared him a glance before nodding and walking out; Mike followed with Don close on his heels.

Leo sighed and leaned back, spitting out more of the stuff. It didn't taste all that bad, but it was really sugary. He hoped Mikey hadn't eaten any; he'd get _such_ a sugar high!

An explosion suddenly rocked the house, accompanied by April's panicked cry and a pained shout from Mikey. Leo's eyes widened; were they under attack?!

Lights flooded the farm house.


	23. Attack!

As Bishop stepped out of the helicopter, he glanced around

As Bishop stepped out of the helicopter, he glanced around. _Really,_ he thought to himself. _One would think such battle-hardened creatures would be more careful about who they show themselves to. Ah, well. It makes my job easier._

He looked towards the house; his men were surrounding it, and there was no way the turtles could escape. They would be his! Lights made sure they couldn't pull a ninja trick and escape using the shadows. Bishop knew they would not get out of here… not without his permission.

"Sir! Thermal readings show two humans, the rat, and the four turtles. One is… different, sir!" a soldier shouted, saluting. Bishop waved at him and the man ran on his way.

"Well, Bishop, I hope you will succeed this time," a robotic voice said. Stockman, re-built into a machine, emerged from the chopper.

"Calm yourself, Stockman," Bishop said quietly. "We've got them like rats in a trap."

"Are you sure they cannot escape?"

"Absolutely." Bishop's cat-shaped mouth turned upwards in a sneering smile. "For too long have they thwarted my plans."

"Indeed. Well, where are they?"

"We're about to gas the house," Bishop answered, giving the hand signal to order the troops to don masks. He slipped one on as well, and Stockman shifted impatiently.

"Let's move!" Bishop cried, grabbing a stun gun from the chopper.

Inside the house, Raph was cursing fluently and loudly. Mike had released Leonardo, who was glaring at them. Don was trying to find them a way out, and Master Splinter was waiting, his tail thrashing in agitation. Casey and April, her red hair bouncing, were fidgeting on the couch.

"Arg!" Raph growled, spinning his Sai. "Let's take 'em already!"

"Not a good idea," Don interrupted. "My scanners show that they're coming in, and they've got stun guns. We've got to get outta here."

"I'll distract them," Leo said suddenly. "You guys run for the woods. I am more agile," he argued when Don started to contradict him.

"You're a bigger target," Raph pointed out mercilessly. "I'll go."

"You don't have a way to get out safely without being shot down," Leo shot back, his wings fanning.

"My sons, save your bickering. They approach." Master Splinter positioned himself in front of April and Casey, his walking stick held like a katana. Raph grumbled but got on one side of the door, Leo on the other. Mike and Donnie stood further in the room, shrouded by darkness.

"Well, Winged One, what now?" Raph hissed.

"Shhh!" Leo ordered, listening. "There's a troop coming. Bishop's men! Twenty, at least."

"Alright. Let's show these humans what we're made of!"

A pounding broke down the door just as Raph made his exclamation. The men filed into the house, not seeing the two turtles lurking by the door.

"Cowabunga!" a cry came, signaling for the attack. Mike, his energy boosted by the purple goo Raph had shoved in his mouth, bounced out of hiding, his nunchucks whirling. Don followed, his bo making quick work from far enough away so no one could grab him. Raph and Leo shot out the door, heading for Bishop and Stockman themselves.

"Bishop!" Leo roared, his wings fanning and striking out at Bishop's hired goons. "Raph, get the others out!"

However, Raph didn't need to, for Mikey and Don were fighting a path to the forest, followed closely by Master Splinter and their human friends. Leo turned his mind back to the fight, telling himself that Mike would be fine.

Bishop stood in front of Leo, gawking at the turtle. Stockman was struck speechless as well.

"What happened to you?" Bishop stammered. Leo raised a katana and slid into a defensive position.

"I changed," he murmured, then darted forward on the attack. Shaking himself, Bishop blocked the attack with a metal stun baton. If he could just touch the winged turtle, he would be able to knock him down and out of the fight.

Raph was engaged with Stockman's robotic body, stabbing again and again with his Sai in an effort to shut it down or slow it. Stockman was ranting as he fought back, and they were pretty evenly matched.

Mike and Don were no where in sight, and Bishop's men were standing at the ready, but let their leader deal with the larger turtle. Stockman was hurling insults to Raph, who was quickly losing it in a blood rage.

"Leo!" Mikey's panicked cry alerted Leo to a second platoon of men, who were just coming in. They had been in the woods, and they were dragging Master Splinter, Don, Casey, and April unconscious. Mikey was limping along, his leg bleeding heavily. A man hit his shoulder and the youngest turtle collapsed to his knees. Raph gave a cry; Stockman held him in two of his robotic arms, the third was coming forward with a needle.

Raph went limp a minute later as the serum from the shot pumped through his veins. Don and Mikey were awake again, and watched angrily as Raph was thrown to the ground next to them. Leo was the only one still standing.

"Well, beast, do you surrender?" Bishop purred cruelly. Mike whimpered as a man tied his hands together behind his shell. Don and Raph were bound as well, and the hothead was awake again. They were all kneeling, and poised above them were soldiers just waiting for Bishop to say the word. They held wicked knives to the turtle's throats, and would not hesitate to cut Leo's brother's throats open.

"Don't!" Raph called, then fell quiet as a human put his knife closer to Raph's throat.

"I yield," Leo accepted quietly, tossing his katana to the ground. Bishop grinned in triumph and motioned for a human to bind Leo like his brothers were. However, his wings were also tied to his body, and his tail was secured to his left leg.

"Finally! I, Baxter Stockman, will have my revenge!" Stockman was ranting and congratulating himself, looking at everything and nothing.

Leo looked up at Bishop, who was studying him intently, then glared at Stockman. His wings trembled, though with rage or hate or fear the scientist could not tell. Cocking an eyebrow, Bishop walked a slow circuit around Leonardo, who stiffened.

"Interesting. You are not merely turtle," the scientist calmly muttered. He put a hand on Leo's left wing and felt the membrane.

"Keep your hands off me," the winged turtle hissed, wrenching out of his grasp. Bishop allowed him, knowing that he'd be able to examine them later.

"Men! Move out! Load the prisoners into the choppers." The rat, the two humans, and the four turtles were shut into one copter, then each one in a separate cage. Except for the blue-banded one; he didn't fit in the one they had prepared for him. Bishop instructed that he be secured to the wall and sat in one of the chairs opposite the anomaly. The scientist was impressed; that wing span was big enough to lift this whole chopper, on a guess. The membrane was leathery…

Bishop remembered back to the time when he was young and interested in dragons. He had read all about them, become a master dragonologist before finding an alien. Then, his interests lay in the UFOs he found, and he forgot about dragons. Mostly.

He remembered some of the things he had learned, about dragon wings especially. The sockets were rotating, so the dragon could fly. The membrane was, in his favorite dragons, leathery and needed oiling every week or so. The tips had claws.

These characteristics matched the turtle's wings. The tail was another clue; the black scales that covered it were very hard, as Bishop had learned when he was smacked by it in the fight. The green skin of his foe was blacker, too, and seemed to crawl with tiny writing or squiggles.

Leonardo's horns, too, were dragon-like, pointing straight up and curving wickedly at the end, signaling that he was male. The tips looked sharp, and Bishop couldn't wait to see if he could shave some of the fiber off to better examine the under layers.

"Leonardo," Bishop said suddenly. "You seem to have changed quite a bit since we last met."

"You haven't changed at all, Bishop," the turtle spat, his wings rustling.

The scientist shrugged and smiled. "You will be fun to dissect, after you've lived your usefulness."

Leonardo was silent, but fear was evident in his posture. He glanced at his brothers, especially the one called Michelangelo. They seemed to talk to each other in that glance, for the winged turtle looked back at Bishop with anger causing his muscles to tighten.

Bishop also wondered about the blacked-out mask. Were Leo's eyes changed as well?

He reached forward, intending to find out, when a growl made him pause. Raphael was staring at him furiously.

"I wouldn't do that," he said calmly. "You stinking human!"

"I don't think you're in any position to call names, Raphael," Bishop chuckled. He moved closer to Leonardo and yanked the mask off quickly, hoping to catch the turtle with his eyes open.

However, he received a face full of flame instead. Bishop backed up, muttering curses, as his men rushed forward. He still held the mask in his hand, but the fringes were burnt and his hair was singed.

"Well, well, well."


	24. A Cold, Dark Room

"You've got some guts, Leonardo," Bishop spat,

"You've got some guts, Leonardo," Bishop spat, waving off offered help.

"I would say you have some, too, Bishop. You should know better than to approach me without asking." Leo's eyes were squeezed shut, and his words came out muffled because of the cloth someone gagged him with. He breathed out, and the cloth caught fire, falling to the ground.

"Huh. We just might have fun with you yet. Get him muzzled!" he ordered his men. "And make sure he can't burn it."

"Yes, sir!" A man came forward with a metal device. Raph stirred in anger, but Leo couldn't see it. He could only hear Raphael.

"Raph?" he asked, making the mistake of opening his mouth. Something cold, pointy, and metal was shoved in, and then it was tied around his head. He tried to kick at the human, but his legs were tied to the wall of the chopper.

The metal thing poked his tongue and gums, and spiked the roof of his mouth. It was tied tightly, pulling his lips back into a snarl.

Bishop chuckled at the expression of disgust and fear on Leonardo's face. The turtle chewed at the gag, but just cut himself up more. Finally, he relented and snorted, shaking his head much like a horse who has figured out that it won't be rid of the bridle and bit.

Bishop made a note to himself to test what temperature Leonardo's fire-breath burned at, and to get a better contraption made that would wire his jaw shut. Bishop could see the flame from Leo's throat working steadily to melt the gag away.

Growling to himself, Raph watched as Leo subsided to the bit in his mouth, blood dribbling down his chin. Stubbornly, he still hadn't opened his eyes, and Raphael was glad. It was bright in here, too bright for Leo's eyes to open and remain undamaged.

Don was also watching his brother, but with remorse. Leo was going to be the main subject of Bishop and Stockman's attention, and that was never painless. In fact, their leader could very well die in the next few days.

Mikey couldn't bring himself to look at his brother. After the flaming incident, he had turned away, not wanting to see his hero beaten down, and focused on April and Casey. They seemed to be waking, but their systems were not as good at purging poison as the turtles', due to their lack of reptilian blood and ninja training.

Leo was thinking, trying to plan a way out for them. April and Casey had their lives ruined; Bishop would tag them, if they got out, as their acquaintances, and they would probably be hunted. The bit gnawed at his tender gums and mouth roof. He could feel Bishop's eyes on him, but did not dare open his own. Even through his eyelids, he could feel the burn of bright lights.

Questions swirled in his mind. _Is Master Splinter okay? Is Mikey hurt? Is Raph awake? Is Don planning? Where are we? Where's Bishop taking us?_

Suddenly, he felt something invade his _chi_ and ducked instantly. A chuckle came from right next to him, and it was Bishop. Somehow, Leo was not surprised. Bishop was trying to get him to open his eyes.

The helicopter jounced suddenly, and the motor started dying. They had landed.

Leo felt overwhelming grief. Mikey could get hurt! Don could suffer, Raph could be killed from one too many smart remarks. Master Splinter and the humans could be locked away forever!

"Stockman, prepare a containment cell for the turtles, and two cells for their human friends and the rat," Bishop's voice ordered as the side of the helicopter opened with a metallic hiss. "Then prep the dissection room."

The metal-bodied scientist was silent, but Leo felt humans untying him. One gave him a shot in the arm, at which he hissed, and it rendered him immobile. Unable to move, Leo was put onto a table and strapped tightly down. He heard shambling and cages unlocking; his brothers were being released.

He was pushed down hallways and counted the turns. Don's breathing next to him told him that he was not alone. Raph's mutters and Mikey's limping gait were clearly audible to the winged turtle. Lying on his shell was uncomfortable, but he didn't squirm.

Soon, the table stopped moving and a sliding door opened. Mikey, Don, and Raph were pushed inside, disarmed, and then Leo was shoved in as well. Paralyzed, he hit the ground hard, but his head was caught safely by Michelangelo.

The door slid shut and cast them into semi-darkness. Leo cautiously opened his eyes and tried to move, but the shot was not wearing off yet. It was a powerful dose.

"Leo, you okay?" Don's voice asked, his face appearing in Leonardo's vision.

"Yeah," Leo muttered, his words muffled by the metal. "Are you?"

"We're fine. I'm going to try to… get this thing off," Mike said, sitting their largest brother up. Don was helping Raph out of his restraints, and then the hothead helped him out of his. Mike's hands were already free, and he was working at the catch on Leo's muzzle.

He found it, and Leo spat the infernal contraption out, working his jaw to relieve the tenderness. His limbs obeyed him now, twitching and moving as he ordered them to, and Leo looked around. They were in a small, square cell with a faint glow coming from the small light above.

"Is everyone okay?" Leonardo asked, standing up and opening his wings, engulfing Mike. It was chilly in this room, no doubt kept that way to lull the reptiles Bishop had hoped to catch and put in there to sleep. Raph and Don huddled under the shelter as well, and the thermostat was turned even further down, or so it seemed. Soon, all four could see their breath.

"Ugh. I hate it when it's cold," Raph muttered, hugging his knees to his chest and sitting in Leo's open wings. Don nodded agreement and looked at Leo, who was staring at the wall across from them.

"Thanks, bro," Don whispered, curling closer to Leo, whose skin was actually warm. He was warm-blooded! However, the braniac sighed, not really interested, just grateful.

"No problem. How's everyone holding up? They go much lower and you might go into hibernation."

"I'm just peachy," Raph grumbled. He always felt the cold more than the others, and the cooler it got, the worse his temper.

"I'm fine," Mikey's voice called from the other side of Leo, forcefully cheerful. Leo wrapped his wings tighter around his brothers, trying to stave off the cold in the room around them.

Bishop looked at the feed, amazed. Not only did Leonardo seem impervious to the bitter cold, but he was expelling heat, enough to rival that of the cool air around them. _Truly an impressive specimen. We shall have a field day with him._

"Stockman! Is the room ready?" he barked at the monitor. Behind him, the robot that held the super-scientist's brain turned around and glared at him. Bishop glanced over his shoulder lazily. "Well?"

"Yes, Bishop," the robotic voice finally alleged.

"Very good. Retrieve the one called Leonardo."

Stockman, muttering curses and obscenities, walked out huffily. Bishop smiled and turned back to the camera. Raphael seemed to be the coldest, and this didn't surprise the watcher. After all, his skin was the thinnest of them all, and his body was the least able to heat itself.

Leo looked up instantly as the door to their cell opened, letting in warm air. Stockman's metallic body was framed in the light. Leo shut his eyes and opened his wings, letting his brothers stand up in the warming air. Raph was shivering but seemed okay on the whole.

Protectively, Leo stood in front of his brothers and covered them with his open wings. Stockman's holographic face merely smirked and his three arms shot forward, the outer two grabbing Leo's wings and forcing them closed, the third clamping around his waist. Picking up his prize like a child would a prized doll, and to the protests of the other turtles, Stockman backed up and pulled Leonardo with him.

However, when his brothers came forward to help, Leo shook his head and pushed Mikey's plastron with his tail in a gesture that said, "Stay here and keep safe. I'll be back."

Sadly, his brothers obeyed, and were shut into barely-lit darkness again.

**A/N: Sorry, a little short, I know, but I hope that I can keep updating. Thanks for all the great reviews! I'm doing my best to hurry up with the updating, but I can't keep up this pace. I've got school starting again soon, but I'll try to finish this quickly. Kameterra, thanks for your honest opinions! Puldoh, thanks for giving me an incentive to get my lazy butt in gear with the writing.**


	25. Endurance

Leo was carried down hallways and through doors, and he tried counting the turns but Stockman was squeezing him too hard for blood to flow well, and had he been human, his ribs would have broken already

Leo was carried down hallways and through doors, and he tried counting the turns but Stockman was squeezing him too hard for blood to flow well, and had he been human, his ribs would have broken already.

"Good," Bishop's voice said from behind Leo. The turtle was slammed onto a table hard enough to hurt him, then flipped over onto his plastron mercilessly. Humans tugged at his wings, which he fought to keep closed. However, they proved too strong and managed to pull Leo's wings out and tie them along another two tables each, they were that long.

Then, they encased his tail in a cloth padding that soon hardened but stayed loose so it could be slipped on and off with ease. His horns were covered in the same stuff, and his arms were strapped down like his wings. His ankles and knees, too, were pinned to the table he rested on, and his shell was strapped down as well.

Bishop walked up, his feet making hardly a sound, and he held something that smelled like blood in his hand. Leo was about to breathe fire, hoping to hit something, when a metal bit was forced into his mouth again. He kept his jaw locked tight together, but a human pushed painfully on his mouth joint until he relaxed and the steel machine was forced into his mouth. Unlike the last one, this seemed to ooze over his teeth and then hardened, and what felt like liquid metal – but cool to the touch – slid down his throat and hardened.

He couldn't breathe fire anymore.

Bishop looked carefully at the turtle, paranoid that they might have missed something that would pose a threat. Satisfied that he had not, the biologist stepped forward, towards Leonardo's right wing. It twitched and lay still again, but was shaking when Bishop put his hand on the very tip of the wing, over the claw.

Swiftly, he cut a section of the wing open and Stockman pinned the flaps of bleeding skin down to the table as the turtle's body shuddered and he gasped, but didn't cry outright. Bishop was disappointed and cut a section of the wing off for testing.

"Hm. It seems as though this reptile has become warm-blooded," Stockman murmured, strapping a pore-tester onto the animal's arm. It probed his pores and took samples of the blood and sweat coming from the turtle.

"Indeed. His wings are a mark of abnormality, even for a freak. Such wings… they are dragon-like, you know," Bishop murmured, looking at the membrane under the microscope next to him. The fibers that made up the membrane criss-crossed and were woven into a tight, air-proof, thermal blanket; Bishop grinned. If he could replicate this material, he could grow winged soldiers!

"So, Leonardo, tell me how you came by this wing," Bishop drawled, suturing the end of the right wing back together. After all, he wanted to see how fast it healed.

But the turtle was silent; Stockman bapped him over the head and went on with his work, testing the piece of skin he'd taken from the mutant's right arm. Shrugging, Bishop went back to his careful stitching.

"It seems that Leonardo here has mutated past being a turtle-human, and become a hybrid of a dragon, turtle, and human. He has the intelligence, agility, and speed of a human, the shell, skin, and beak of a turtle, and the wings, tail, horns, and scales of a dragon. This writing on his skin, though, is fascinating. I do not know what it is, nor where it comes from, but it seems to be most legible on his arms and plastron." Stockman grunted at Bishop's identification, a very funny noise coming from a robot. The turtle was silent.

"We will have to dissect him further," Stockman asserted, lighting a welding torch. Carefully, he burned away a section of Leo's shell, lifted the plate, and exposed the tender muscle and flesh beneath.

"Not now," Bishop said. "Put that back. I want to run some agility tests first. We'll dissect them all later, once I have as much information from them as I can while they are alive. Patch that up and give him a healing shot. Then we'll dump him in the wind tunnel." Finished with his careful stitching, the scientist moved to Leo's other wing, examining it and taking measurements much like Donnie had.

Back in the cold room, Raph's teeth were clacking quickly together, though he skillfully hid it.

_Agh, Winged One, we need you now,_ he said, careful to keep moving. Don and Mikey were also walking up and down, but Mike's limp was getting worse. Finally, Donnie told him to sit down and the braniac went over the long cut. Hardly sparing them a glance, Raphael kept walking.

He tried reaching out with his mind, but he was too distracted by the cold. He rubbed his hands over his large arms briskly.

"Don," Raph grumbled, "how's Mikey's leg lookin'?"

"Okay," Don muttered, tying his mask around it to help soak up the blood and keep the wound closed. "We should huddle together, like… we were."

"I don't know about you, but I ain't wantin' to hunker down in this cold. I wanna keep moving. Bishop, if you can hear me, you _need_ to turn up the heat! I mean, come on. This is downright low." Raph glared at the light, since it was the only thing other than white walls in this cell.

"Has Master Splinter reached you yet?" Mikey asked, looking up at his fuming brother.

"No. I can't reach out, either, with this cold. I wonder how he's doing." Raph didn't need to specify; they were all wondering about Leo, and what was happening to him.

Mike was silent, Raph's feet sliding around as he paced up and down, and Donnie was tying knots in a mask long run out of fabric to tie knots in.

Leo stumbled as a human pushed him forward. He was in too much pain from the chip in his shell to count the turns, and was thoroughly lost. Bishop and Stockman walked in front of him, and a guard held his gun at Leo's head. One wrong move and he'd be turtle paste.

Stockman opened a door to their right and shoved the winged turtle into the tunnel. At one end was a large, rotating fan behind a grid too small for even a human pinkie to fit through. Behind Leo was a large, sharp-bladed grid. If he fell into that… turtle-dragon soup would probably be served.

The fan sped up and a gust blasted into Leo, who flattened onto his plastron as a result and pinned his wings down, the claws holding onto the rough floor surface.

"Ah, cheating," a voice said from a speaker above the door. "Unfortunately for you, I don't allow cheating."

Leonardo couldn't tell if the voice belonged to Bishop or Stockman, and didn't have time to think about it, because the floor rippled and spike shot up at the bladed fan's end, quickly moving for Leo's position.

Like a quail scared into flight by a gun shot, Leo sprang off the ground and flapped his wings. He pushed against the currents of air to keep from being pushed into the blades behind him, and fought for altitude. He wasn't tired… yet. However, with no food for many hours, and with his increased need for calories, Leo knew he would soon be tired. For now, though, he flew, his reflection bouncing off the mirror Leo was sure Stockman and Bishop were standing behind, watching him.

Briefly, the winged turtle thought about flipping them off or something similar but disregarded it. After all, he needed to think, and this was the perfect opportunity!

First, though, he'd better contact Raph if he could. Closing his eyes, Leo reached out with his mind and touched his brother's. It was filled with dark thoughts of revenge on Bishop and Stockman.

_I'm here,_ Leo mind-sent. Raph's mind started and turned towards him.

_Leo? How're you holding up?_ Raph's voice came to him not in words but pictures and thoughts.

_Pretty well, actually. I'm in a wind tunnel. I think they're testing my endurance, but since I haven't eaten in a while… I don't know what I'll do. There are spikes behind me and on the floor, so I can't land._

_Can you hold onto the walls?_ Raph asked, sending a picture of a dragon clinging to a tower, from a movie they had once seen. _Maybe?_

_I'll try. _Leo turned his head towards the wall and opened his eyes. Thankfully, Bishop had left his mask on, and he could see without hurting himself. He reached out and touched the cement; it was rough and bumpy, like the floor.

Carefully, Leonardo latched himself like a tick onto the wall, just above the mirror so it would be hard to see him, and his wing claws dug in with screeches. He felt safer, somehow, when his wings took his weight from his hands and hooked him to the wall and ceiling.

Behind the glass, Leo could envision Bishop smiling evilly. Surely the walls were protected?

_It's working, for now. How're you holding up?_

_We're cold,_ Raph sent back angrily. _And Mikey's wound is hurting him._

_I'll be back as soon as I can,_ Leo promised. _So maybe I should continue flying?_

Raph sent a video of him shaking his head angrily. _No way, O Winged One. Keep your strength. You'll need it later._

_Very well, Raph. I will see you all as soon as I may. _Leo cut the connection and reached out for Master Splinter, who accepted his tired mind and gave him strength.

_My son, where are you?_ Master Splinter's voice was probably the sweetest sound Leo could have heard at the time.

_I am in a wind tunnel clinging to a wall. Mike, Raph, and Don are in a cell that is cold. I have been officially declared warm-blooded. How are you? Is April there? Or Casey? _Leo was worried about their human friends. Bishop could let them go free, but they'd never be without a guard and would always be watched.

_I am fine, my eldest. Mr. Jones is in the cell next to me, and Ms. O'Neil is with him. She is still unconscious, and he is groggy but functional. When you get back to your brothers, please discuss a plan to release us all. _

_I will, Sensei,_ Leo promised warmly.

_I know, my son. Peace be with you._

_Thank you, Master Splinter. _Leo slid away from the connection with an image of him bowing sent as a last goodbye to his mentor. He opened his eyes to find Stockman in the doorway, a buzz baton in one robotic hand. He was approaching Leonardo, who looked around. The floor was still covered in spikes, and the fan was rotating quickly.

An electric bolt shot through him, and Leo cried out as his wings released the wall and he fell towards the floor. He landed on the small spikes with a groan as they slammed into his scales and plastron, and he was soon bleeding a little from numerous holes in his flesh and bony chest plates.

"No cheating," Stockman said, walking back out. Leo stumbled to his feet and opened his wings, beating them against the currents again.

An hour later, he was so tired he didn't care if Stockman shocked him again; he landed on the ceiling and tore into the cement with his wing claws, hanging there and soon falling asleep.


	26. What's HIS Name?

Leo was jolted from sleep when he was tossed into a cold room, his wings sprawling clumsily on the ground

Leo was jolted from sleep when he was tossed into a cold room, his wings sprawling clumsily on the ground. Carefully, he looked up to see Raph peering at him. Don's hands were going over his body, and Mikey was hugging him. The metal in his throat swelled suddenly and Leonardo choked, trying to cough it out but failing.

"Don!" Raph called, panicked as their leader's mouth opened and closed like a fish on land. "Don, he can't breathe!"

Their smart brother came over quickly and forced Leo's mouth open, then looked down it, shaking his head. "No good. I can't see anything in this light. Mikey, Raph, go over his wings and make sure he isn't hurt badly. I'll see what I can do here."

Don rolled his brother onto his side and got a good look at Leo's plastron. It was covered in metal, and then he noticed the metal in his brother's mouth. Perhaps that was choking him…

But before Donnie could do anything, Leonardo gasped and coughed. Mike pounded his shell only to tear a cry from Leo.

"Ah! Don't do that!" the blue-banded turtle ordered, pushing himself to his hands and knees. He looked up, then down at his plastron. "Aw, shell."

Mikey couldn't even grin when Leo, _the_ Leo, cursed. Instead, he called for Donnie. "Dude, his wing's torn over here!"

"Yeah," Leo agreed, standing with Raph's help. He left his wings open, though. "Bishop decided he liked the membrane of my wing so much he had to have a sample."

Don winced; by the bland way Leo said it, Bishop hadn't used painkillers or sedatives, just sliced and diced.

"What's with your shell and plastron?" Don asked, tapping the metal.

"Not a clue. I fell asleep in the wind tunnel and woke up when I was thrown in here. Well, I know Stockman burned off a piece of my shell, but Bishop ordered him to put it back on. I think that's why it hurts right now. Are you all okay?"

"Fine," Raph snorted, pacing again. "Except that we're slowly freezing to death."

"You should grow a pair of wings," Leo teased, opening said limbs and hugging his brothers close. "They're really warm."

"No muzzle?" Don asked suddenly, huddled close to Leo. They all heard their leader chuckle heatedly, and it sent goose bumps crawling over Raph's skin.

"Muzzle? No. Choking device? Yes." Leo huffed. "Something is coating my throat, and it feels like metal. It expanded, that's why I couldn't breathe. It's also suppressing my fire-breathing and I can't tell if I can eat yet."

"Kavara," Mike suddenly said.

"What?" Raph, Don, and Leo said at once.

"Kavara," Mikey repeated. "It means "Dragon Mother" or "Mother" to a dragonet. I just remembered. So you're my kavara, Leo."

"Weird. Mikey, why do you remember this at such a time?" Leo asked, pulling Mikey closer in his wing. He felt his little brother shrug against his side. He'd grown again, and now stood nearly a foot and a half taller than Michelangelo.

"I dunno. You can call me kalian, though. That means "Dragon Son" or "Dragonet". And isn't that what I am to you?"

"Sure," Leo whispered, patting Mikey's head and chortling. "Kalian. I like it."

"Well, I was looking up Elvish names to see if they had "Ugly Hothead" for Raph there and found this site(1)… It was really cool."

"Hm. So, is there one for Ugly Hothead?" Leo asked, teasingly.

"No, but there is Arnlys, which means South Breeze. Or Fir'rae, which is Dark Beast. I think both fit. Oh, and Renis, which is Bear of the Dawn, or Morning Bear!" Mikey listed.

"Wow. To think you have studied so hard for something so trivial," Don whistled.

"Hey!" Mike protested. "I study hard for ninjistsu, too!" He muttered something.

"What?" Don asked.

"Thohar. It means True Knowledge or True Wisdom. For me to call you that, it would mean One Who Seeks True Wisdom."

"I like it. Thohar."

"Does anything mean Black Fire?" Raph asked. "Or Dark Fire?"

"Um… yeah. Let me think. Kor-something means Black-something, and fire is –iat. So that'd be Koriat. Or Firiat for Dark Fire."

"So, I'm Kavara, you're Kalian, Raph's Koriat, and Donnie's name is Thohar?" Leo murmured. "Hm. I like Kavara; it sounds protecting."

"And feminine," Raph pointed out mockingly. "Should we call you Lea now? Leonarda?"

"No!" Leo blushed, and by the sound of his voice, he was trying not to laugh. "What about you? Dark Fire? Please. Mikey, is there anything for Soft Rose?"

"Let me think… Yes! Or, close. "Nim" means deep, or "Fis" means light, or… ah! Soft is "seh". Rose is… well, flower is "or" or "oro". "Sal" means sweet," Mikey added.

"Very well. For teasing purposes, Raph's name is Sehoro, Soft Flower," Leo laughed.

"Mike, what's the translation for Bruised One?"

"There is none."

"Okay, how about Female Turtle?"

"Closest is "ara", which is a woman. I don't know "turtle" in Elvish."

"Alright, how about Winged Woman?"

"Umm… I'd say Aradrim, which is like Flying Woman, or Arathil, with is Winged Woman…"

"Alright, then Leo shall be known as Arathil," Raph announced.

"Mikey, is there a word or Knights of the Same Heart?" Don asked.

"Um… knight is "ael". Heart is "nes". So Aelnes."

"Alright, we'll call Leo Aelnes and Raph… what's Guardian of the Heart?" Don didn't like bowing to Mikey's superior knowledge, but he relented and decided that it was fun to rename each other.

"Baelnes," Mikey answered immediately, betraying his familiarity with the name.

"So, Leo is Aelnes and Raph will be Baelnes." Don chucked to himself at his smarts.

"We're having too much fun with this," Raph muttered darkly. "Kavara, humph!"

"Oh, please," Leo groaned, his face muscles stretching into a smile. "We'll call you Baelnes, not those others Mike and I came up with. Okay? Just don't call me Lea, or Leanarda. That's just weird."

"What's weird is that we're having fun," Don said. "I mean, this is Bishop's place. Shouldn't we be trying to get out or seomthing?"

"Oh, yeah…"

(1): the site is listed in my bio… check it out!


	27. RTS and Planning

"Well, that was strange," a man murmured, turning up the volume on the camera

"Well, that was strange," a man murmured, turning up the volume on the camera. Behind him, his boss shifted and straightened.

"It also tells us they are used to having Internet access, and lots of free time. Or, at least, the one called Michelangelo does," Bishop said to himself. "Turn up the thermostat for them. I want it to get ninety degrees Fahrenheit."

"Yes, sir." The man twisted a dial and typed in 9-0-.-0-0 on his keyboard. "Room is heating up."

"Give them more light," Bishop ordered. "I want to see Leonardo's reaction."

"Yes, sir." The man cranked another knob and the room brightened considerably. All four turtles looked up, Leonardo shielding his face. His blacked-out mask was making it impossible for Bishop to see his eyes.

"Get a large load of greens to them; I need them in top form for my tests," Bishop continued ordering. A panel in the seamless wall in the cell opened and a pile of fruits and veggies slid through into the turtle's cage.

Leonardo looked around, then back at the food. Bishop caught the glint of metal on his plastron and teeth. Donatello and Michelangelo reached forward and pulled the container forward, and Raphael sniffed a piece, trying to check for poisons.

"I think it's safe," Raph growled. "I can't smell anything on it."

"Bishop doesn't want to poison us," Leo reasoned. "He wants to keep us in peak form for tests." At this last, Leo's wings rustled as if in agreement, and he reached forward, selecting a piece of ripe watermelon to taste.

"Hmm. It's good," Don said, taking a large bite out of an apple, his favorite fruit. "I don't taste anything. Leo?"

"I think it's okay," Leo said. "I can't smell anything either. Shall we eat?"

"Is anyone else feel like it's warming up?" Raph suddenly asked. He stepped out from Leo's wing and gasped. "Guys! It's warming up!"

"That can't be good," Leo groaned, closing his wings. "But you're right. Maybe Bishop has decided to take it easy with us at first?"

"Uh huh." Don glared pointedly at Leo's metal-coated plastron. "Then what's that doing there?"

"Who knows? Maybe it reads blood pressure or something," Mikey interrupted.

"Plausible," Don concurred.

"Let's eat," Leonardo said. He grabbed an orange and handed it to Mike, who reached up and peeled it on Leo's horns.

"Hey, those work well," Mike exclaimed, picking off bits of orange peel from his "mother's" horns. Leo was kneeling so Mikey could easily bust open the ginger fruit that the youngster liked so much.

Bishop watched as Michelangelo peeled an orange on Leonardo's horns. He was impressed; by the way these two interacted, they were like dragonet and mother.

An evil grin spread across his face. If he could get that serum Stockman was making working, he could force rational thought from Leonardo and study the interactions of a highly-protective "mother dragon" and "her dragonet", Michelangelo. Also, the way Leonardo stiffened every time Raphael slapped Michelangelo bespoke a trepidation that Leo harbored about his brothers hurting his "dragonet".

It would be very interesting to see what would happen if Leonardo was convinced that Raphael or Donatello had injured Michelangelo. And what would happen if the happy pair was separated.

"Stockman, how comes the Rational Thought Serum?" Bishop asked into a mike.

Stockman's holographic face blinked onto his screen, and it was twisted in an expression of casual anger at being interrupted. "The RTS is still in progress, Bishop."

"How long until completion?" Bishop snapped, wanting a more exact answer.

Stockman complied, knowing how dangerous it was to mess with Bishop when the boss was in such a mood. "A few days, sir," he muttered.

"Hurry it up!"

"As you wish, Mr. Bishop," Stockman seethed, blinking out of the screen. Bishop turned to the camera showing the turtle's cell.

They were lounging, full after such a meal. Bishop was impressed; almost half of the container was gone. However, he knew where most of it had gone, judging by the drowsy state of the winged turtle. Leonardo was growing larger every hour, and Bishop was going to give that growth a boost mentally if he could.

"Sir! Report is in on that blood sample from the turtle," a man said, handing Bishop an envelope. Eagerly, Bishop tore it open and scanned the results, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Stockman! Prepare the RTS for transfer to a turtle," he barked into Stockman's com link.

"What?! It's not ready, Bishop!"

"I know." Bishop turned off Stockman's holographic image and returned to looking at the results of Leonardo's blood test.

"Man, it's getting warm in here," Mike grumbled. "That food is going to rot."

"Let's try pushing it back towards the panel," Leo suggested. Raph got to his feet from his sitting in the corner and helped Leo push it up against the wall. The panel slid back and the container was whisked out of sight, then the door closed before they could even think about jumping through it. Not that Leo would fit, anyway.

"Well, that was easy." Don scratched his ankle. "Mikey, how's your leg doing?"

"Good. It doesn't hurt so much." All four turtles were getting sleepy with the heat and being full. Leonardo had the oddest sense that he needed a sunbathing rock, and Raphael was thinking longingly of a log in a cool pond.

"So, Kavara, how're we going to get out of here?" Mike asked, desperate to stay away. He rolled onto his plastron and propped his head up on his hands which were held up by elbows bracing on the floor. Raph and Don did the same, while Leo – with his uncomfortable metal coating on his chest plates – was forced to sit with crossed knees.

"I don't really know. I was able to contact Master Splinter. He, April, and Casey are okay for now. They were being left alone when I was able to get through to him. He hopes we can come up with a plan for getting out of here." Leo felt that incredible weight fall on his shoulders and grimaced mentally. Really, he had to come up with the plan.

However, Raph spoke up without a second thought. "Hey, Winged One, when Stockman grabbed you, did you see our weapons?"

"Yes… they were in the lab." Leo shuddered just barely and Mikey put a hand on his knee reassuringly.

"Can you sneak me a Sai?" Raph whispered. He didn't know if Bishop could hear them,b but he wasn't taking chances.

"If I can, I will," Leo promised near-silently. "If I can't, I'll try to get something in. Hey, wait a minute. Mikey, when you were looked at the cut on my wing, did you see any needles?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"When Bishop cut it, he pinned the membrane down with pins. One of those would be useful, I bet. Here." Leo extended his wing and Mike looked over it carefully, but shook his head.

"No luck." Don shrugged.

"Well, so much for that plan. It's almost a quarter mile outside, too. I counted the steps," Raph added smugly when Leo cocked an eye ridge at him. "I know the way out."

"I know the way to our weapons," Leo said carefully. "But we have to get out first."

Bishop listened as the turtles schemed. He was impressed with their resourcefulness, he had to admit. He would be careful about scanning Leonardo before putting him back in the room.

"Stockman! Is the RTS ready?" Bishop yelled across the lab. Stockman's robotic body turned to him, a vial clasped in one arm's clamp.

"Yes."

"Good. Prepare for Operation DRAGONESS," Bishop stated calmly. "Retrieve Leonardo."

**A/N: Dun dun dun… scary music plays. So, how is it so far? I don't know if I'll even let them escape… this story has taken some funny turns. Up next, what happens when Leo is turned into a turtle-dragon with only instincts?n**


	28. Kavara

A/N: I can't get my lines separating POV to stay when I upload the document, so a double space will be filling that capacity for now

**A/N: I can't get my lines separating POV to stay when I upload the document, so a double space will be filling that capacity for now. -**

When the door opened, Leo looked up blearily. He'd been dozing, his wings spread like sails to catch the heat coming off the walls. Raph and Don were asleep, though they woke up when Stockman walked in grinning evilly. Mike was sitting in the shade of Leo's wings and toying with his fingers, running them up and down the floor. All four turtles stood up and Stockman seemed to look over each of them.

Regally, Leo closed his wings and faced Stockman. On his right, Raph squared his shoulders, and on his left, Don and Mikey took on defensive positions. They were telling Stockman to leave them alone.

But the robot just smiled and its three arms shot out blindingly fast. One caught Leo around the waist, the other two pushed his brothers aside. Raph leapt at Stockman, only to be batted away. Then, he was gone, Leo with him.

Mike sat down and hugged his knees. Raph stormed around angrily, and Don wrapped his arms around Mikey's still form.

"Why him?" Mikey said suddenly, his voice hollow. "Why Leo? He's only ever suffered for us. Why can't we protect him?"

"Because he doesn't want protecting," Raph answered. "He's always protecting us. He thinks that's all he has to offer this family."

"It's wrong!" Mike shouted, pounding a fist into the floor. "Wrong." He broke down and cried into Don's shoulder, and the purple-wearing ninja was startled. Who knew Mikey, the jokester, would understand so well? Tears fell down his beak as well.

Raph went over and hugged his younger brothers, letting them lean on his strength.

They would get through this, together. As it should be.

Stockman growled as Leonardo struggled futilely. His wings were open and flapping like a startled bird, and it annoyed Stockman.

"Stop that or I'll pick one of your brothers next," Stockman growled. That shut the turtle up; Leonardo quieted and folded his wings wordlessly.

Bishop was waiting in the lab room, a table prepped next to him. None too gently, Stockman dropped the turtle onto the table, on his shell, and bound his hands and legs to it before he could jump up. Then, he pulled out the wings from behind the pinned turtle and strapped them to handing wires so they were accessible but out of their immediate way.

"What're you doing?" the turtle asked as Bishop came forward with a breathing mask. Stockman drew in a breath to speak, but Bishop beat him to the punch.

"We're taking away your rational thoughts," he said simple. Leonardo's eyes widened, or at least, so it seemed.

"You can't do that!" the eyeless turtle laughed.

"Watch me," Bishop snarled, grabbing a needle filled with the red liquid of the preparing serum that would shut down all functions, sending the turtle into "death". He plunged it into the turtle's collarbone, and the beast jerked silently.

When the needle was drawn out, Leonardo shifted again and then went limp.

"Heart rate slowing," Stockman reported, looking at the monitor fed from the signal on the turtle's metal-coated plastron. "Nervous system shutting down."

"Good," Bishop purred. "Get a vial ready and then inject him with the first dose."

"And afterwards, when he wakes?" Stockman crossed to a computer and started calibrating the correct first dosage.

"Take a sample of his blood and then toss him back. We'll see how differently the high and mighty Leonardo behaves." Bishop walked out of the lab, his hands full of a tube with a small sample of Leonardo's wing membrane.

"Stockman do this, Stockman do that," the robot muttered, glancing at the still form of Leonardo. His chest didn't rise, and he really did look dead. _Well, he is, technically. _Stockman strapped an oxygen mask over the turtle's beak and grabbed the vial that was filled with RTS.

"Goodbye, humanoid turtle. Hello, draconic shell-back," Stockman laughed, filling a large needle with the serum and plunging it into Leonardo's neck, right into a vein. The nano-bots inside would waken the dead turtle and keep part of his brain in a coma-like state so that he couldn't think rationally. He'd just be an animal both physically and mentally.

Stockman hummed quietly as he worked, changing the metal on the dead turtle's plastron for a stronger type that was also more flexible. Then he removed the shell carefully, raising the table and removing the panel for easy access to it. In its stead, he put a metal one shaped exactly like the old one. Then, he replaced some of the sagging scales on Leonardo's tail.

Slowly, Leonardo would be turned into a cyborg like Stockman.

Then, he watched as Leonardo came to, moaning in pain as his nerves flared and calmed. His wings twitched and the turtle moved, then turned his eyes to fix on Stockman. He seemed to open his eyes, and his mouth opened in a snarl. When it came out, that noise was bestial enough to send shivers down Stockman's spine, if he had any.

"Calm down, Leonardo."

"Kavara," the turtle croaked, struggling against his restraints. "I am Kavara. Where is Kalian?" Well, it seemed that he had retained enough memory and intelligence to speak and understand what he was saying.

"Kalian? Who is that?" Stockman asked as he looked up from his notes.

"My… son." The dragon-turtle, Kavara now, frowned. "Kalian."

"I see." Stockman buzzed for Bishop to join him and turned back to Leonardo – Kavara. "Why do you call yourself Kavara?"

"Mother Dragon," the animal whispered, seeming to tire. Stockman took out a shot of caffeine and other chemicals to keep the turtle awake for a while and jabbed it into Kavara's arm.

"Hm… But you are male, no?"

The dragon-turtle was silent, merely flexing his wings. Bishop came in, his mouth twisted into a frown.

"What's this about, Stockman? I told you to throw Leonardo back when he woke, not summon me."

"Meet Kavara," Stockman said simply, returning to his notes. Bishop stared at him, then slowly his gaze traveled over the creature strapped to the table.

"Kavara?"

"Yes?" Leonardo answered, trying to lift his head but finding it tied to the table.

"Kavara has told me about his – or her? – son, named Kalian. I think he's talking about Michelangelo," Stockman explained, adjusting a light over the dragon-turtle's head.

"Kalian, huh? Are there others?"

"Two," Leonardo hissed angrily. "Koriat and Thohar. Black Fire and One Who Seeks True Wisdom. _They _should not be near Kalian."

Bishop was smiling widely. "They hurt him, you know." Leonardo stiffened angrily, then gave a might roar and tried to break free. "Koriat and Thohar hurt Kalian."

The mutant struggled further, and managed to break his wing free from its restraints. Stockman hurriedly shot him with a serum that was supposed to calm him down, put the creature to sleep.

However, Kavara kept struggling, his roars now pure anger and fury. Bishop backed up hurriedly as Kavara's arms bulged with muscles and then tore free of the straps, quickly followed by the rest of him.

"For a turtle, you move quickly," Stockman drawled. He clamped a lock around Kavara's wrists, binding them together with a very strong magnet. Then, the did the same for the mutant's ankles and wing joints.

"Take him back, but make sure to keep those restraints on him. I don't want the others killed."

"He wouldn't touch Michelangelo," Stockman argued. "But with what you told him, he'll tear Raphael and Donatello apart."

"Give him a sedative, then, and make sure he _can't_ hurt them. Or, if you still think it's risky, put him in a separate cell. I'd rather see how they interact, though." Bishop looked at Kavara's heaving form, trying to break free of Stockman's vice-like grip.

"I think that would be the best, for now," Stockman agreed, attaching a collar around the dragon-turtles neck. It punctured his skin in several places causing him to cry out, and pumped a calming drug into his system.

Stockman deposited the turtle in a cell separate from his brothers, but right next to them.


	29. Dead?

"Mikey," Raph said soothingly

"Mikey," Raph said soothingly. "It's okay. Leo's strong. He'll get through this." Raph looked up. _He'd better_.

A thump outside announced that Stockman was back. He opened the door, but Leonardo was not in his grip. Instead, he held a sickeningly familiar shell. Wordlessly, he tossed it in, backed out, and closed the door.

Raph just stared at the cleaned thing. It had all of Leo's scars, including the chip on the side. Finally, he reached forward to touch it. It was cold, and shifted as he patted it, letting a note fall out from just under the rim. It was old, and weathered.

Mikey sobbed as Raph picked it up, unfolding it carefully. Leo's neat handwriting jumped out at him.

_Well, if anyone finds this, I'm probably dead. Right now, I'm thirteen. Master Splinter is really sick, so I am taking care of him and my brothers. I've tucked it here so that, when I die, my brothers can read this letter. Maybe. I don't know if you'll find it._

_Anyway, I am writing to tell you I love you all so very much. In my room, you will find a black book. Raph, that's for you. Mikey, dear Mikey, you can have my old stuffed animals. I know you've always loved them. Donnie, you can have my CD collection. I know you've always admired it._

_Master Splinter, if you're still alive, I hope you know that I tried my best. I probably died taking a blow for a brother, or even went out on patrol and was ambushed. Or maybe, in my older age, I changed… maybe I became more like Raph. Either way, I love you all._

_If I'm not dead and you've just poked around my shell and found this note, I hope you understand. I couldn't bear to leave without telling you all, so tell Raph to read the black book. He'll understand better, and maybe it'll help him be leader, for it sounds like I can't be, if anyone's found this._

_I'll hide this now, and hope no one ever has to find it until I write another one, updated and such. This is my third. I change them every three to five years. When I'm eighteen, I'll write another._

_Love forever, Hamato Leonardo, son of Splinter Sensei, brother to Hamato Michelangelo, Hamato Donatello, and Hamato Raphael_

_May peace be with you._

Raph dropped the letter and let a single tear run down his cheek. He couldn't get it… how was Leo dead? He never died, even when the Foot ambushed him and beat him up pretty bad. Or even when Karai stabbed him. Why would Stockman and Bishop be able to douse the warrior's ever-burning flame?

Sobbing, Mikey reached forward, touching the shell that had once protected their greatest brother. Don sat back, eyes wide in fear and sorrow. Crying loudly, he then hugged Raphael, who put his arms around both of his brothers and held them tightly.

"Shhh," he whispered hoarsely, rocking them. A memory surfaced, and he hummed a lullaby Master Splinter used to sing to them. Quietly, he began singing in his beautiful baritone voice.

"Sleep now, my angels,

Let heaven watch over you.

You shells will protect you,

Your brothers will love you,

Your father will teach you,

Your friends will care for you.

Take heart, my dear ones,

Fly into the realm where

Nothing can touch you,

Nothing can hurt you.

Hold on through despair,

Hold each other tight,

Gather strength from your brothers."

Raph stopped singing, then said lowly, "Leo liked this one. Let's sing it in his memory."

Don and Mikey looked up, their eyes drying slightly as Raph started a new song.

"Every morning I wake up just the same  
Another victim of ordinary fame  
I don't see myself as invincible  
It's not true at all

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Trying to save the world, but never really sure  
I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Nothing more than that, that's all I really am

Just a day job that's someone's gotta do  
It's kinda hard when everyone looks up to you  
Try to make it look easy, gonna make it look good  
Like anybody would

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Trying to save the world, but never really sure  
I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Nothing more than that, that's all I really am

I'm just like everybody else  
After all the hype it's hard to tell  
I keep my game face on so well

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
I'm trying to save the world  
I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero

Trying to save the world  
I try to hide my true identity  
But no one knows it's only me

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Trying to save the world, but never really sure  
I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Nothing more than that, that's all I really am

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
I'm trying to save the world  
I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Trying to save the world, but never really sure  
I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero  
Nothing more than that, that's all I really am

I'm just your average, ordinary, everyday superhero."

Raph choked back a sob as he sang the song. "Everyday Superhero" by Smash Mouth. It fit his brother so well…

Mikey hugged Raph fiercely, conveying his thanks to their brother that he had sung a tribute to their leader. Don looked at the incision marks on the shell, noting that it had been carved off carefully.

"Well, I feel like a fool," he laughed, startling his brothers. "Leo's not dead, guys. Look!" Don pointed at the most visible of the marks. "They just took off his shell. It's painful and dangerous, but from the looks of this, they took great care of it. He's alive, or at least, not dead."

"How do you know? Maybe they did that and Leo died anyway," Raph argued. "But we can only hope. If he's not dead, then why did Stockman throw his shell in here?"

"Because he wanted us to believe he was," Mike said, looking around. "I bet he's watching us." In a fluent, angry motion, the orange-clad turtle stood up, and shouted fiercely, "Well, I hope you got an earful, you-" Raph quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and then looked at the wall opposite. It was slowly turning transparent.

Bishop's voice came through a speaker, from everywhere and nowhere. "Well, now that you've figured that out, I guess I'll sow you what happened to Leonardo. Or should I say, Kavara?"

The wall was now like glass, and all three brothers could see Leo's still form behind it. He was breathing… slowly. In place of his shell was a metal one that had a display on the back, and thought he tried, Don could not see what it said.

Leo's wings were spread out around him, and his hands and ankles were shackled together tightly. He stirred.

Mikey let out a whoop, at which Leo's body stirred more, then leapt to its feet. Leonardo faced the wall, and slowly his lips pulled back from his teeth.

Don gasped as the snarl was magnified by the speakers around him. It sounded deadly and menacing. Mikey stepped forward, putting hand on the glass.

Something was wrong.


	30. Alive?

"Leo!" Raph called, starting forward. He halted when Leo swung his face to glare at him. Or, that's what it looked like. Leo still had his blacked-out mask on, so Raph couldn't really tell.

Again, Leonardo snarled, and Raph backed up, holding his hands out carefully. Don stood slowly, and Leo's gaze drilled into him.

"Leo… what's happened?" he asked through the glass, standing next to Mikey. Leo hissed then, a very clear sound. Startled, Don backed away from Mike, and Leo calmed down right away.

"My shell…" Don whispered, covering his mouth with his hand. Tears sprang to his eyes. "YOU MONSTER!" he shouted, presumably at Bishop. "You #&ing monster!"

"What's going on?" Mikey asked, putting his hand on Don's arm. However, a growl from Leo stopped him. It was motherly, which startled Mike. He retreated, and then went over the sound. It was like Leo was commanding him to stay away, but… he said it using a warm growl, like a mother would to her hatchling.

"He's… he's…" Don broke down, sobbing into his hands. Raph wrapped him in his strong arms, and Don shifted to look at Leo through the glass. "Bishop took away his rational thoughts," he said sadly.

"What?!" Mike turned to Leo, who was watching him lovingly. Mikey swallowed. "So… I'm truly his Kalian, to him?"

"Yes. And judging by the way he looked at us," Raph paused. "Bishop told him we hurt you." Mike looked up sharply. "Listen. He talked to me before April and Casey picked us up. Mikey, his new instincts tell him that _you're_ a defenseless – well, not quite – dragonet. To him, that means that he, a dragon, has to protect you. Don and I… are outsiders to him, "dragons" who could hurt his "dragonet" by being too rambunctious. If Don's right, then Leo probably won't trust us again, and he could very well kill us. That might be why he's over there and we're in here."

Mike put his hand on the glass wall, staring at his brother… his Kavara.

"Touching," Bishop's voice said laughingly over the speakers. "So, which one of you is Koriat? Black Fire?"

Raph looked up but remained silent.

"I think I can guess anyway. You are correct, Donatello. The thing that turned Leonardo into Kavara is called RTS. Rational Thought Serum. Therefore, I call what has happened TAS. Transformation into Animal Syndrome," Bishop laughed. "It's a pity, really. He can still talk and understand English. But, I suppose that's okay. We've only given him the first dose."

"W-what are you doing?" Don asked shakily.

"We're studying dragon-turtle interactions," Stockman's voice said. "It just so happens that we have the perfect candidate. Kavara is quite… dangerous, it seems." As if in answer, Leo straightened and tried to release his hands. His shell glowed red and so did his plastron, and he stopped, looking down, and growled.

"Well, with that touching reunion, I think we're done," Bishop said. Leo's cell door opened and he turned to it, his wings unable to open because of the metal that encased the joints. Don watched as Leo seemed to swell when Stockman approached. They couldn't hear anything, but Leo's mouth moved and Stockman's hologram laughed, then shot his arms forward to grab Leonardo.

However, Leo surprised them all, running forward and under the arms. Unable to use his hands or feet, the winged turtle jabbed Stockman's robotic body with his horns. They punctured and electricity shot through both "people".

Leo was flung into the far wall as Stockman flew out the door. Shaking his head, Leonardo stumbled to his feet dazedly and ran out of his cell. His brothers tried to see him, but they were unable to as he disappeared.

"What's he up to?" Raph wondered aloud, looking at the wall. Blood was smeared on it, the dark red blood that signaled Leo was hurt. "Aw, shell."

Gunshots fired outside for a moment, and a dim roar could be heard. Then, silence. Terrible, horrifying silence. Mikey whimpered and clutched Donnie, looking towards the door. Raph shifted so his little brothers couldn't see the blood in the other cell.

Suddenly, the door clanged. It slowly opened, and Raph stepped in front of his brothers to protect them. However, he was unprepared for Leo's entrance. The turtle was breathing heavily and limping, but alive. Several dings in his plastron and shell made Donnie glad Bishop had made his bony plates metal.

He fanned his wings gently, and blinked. Donnie ran forward and hugged Leonardo. Mikey did as well, and Raph was watching fondly, wishing he had a camera.

"Leo… what happened?" Don asked finally, inspecting their brother.

"Their RTS thing worked… for a while. It seems our reptilian blood naturally filters it out into the stomach, where it is destroyed. Who'd a thunk?" Leo asked, hugging Mike and Don. "But it's over now. Let's get out of here."

Raph looked at Leo's natural shell, lying on the floor. Leonardo followed his gaze and bent to pick it up tenderly. "Hm. Well, I guess I'd better get used to the loss. This one is much better!"

Mikey smiled and rapped the metal now covering their brother's chest and back. "Boy, I'd hate to have you body slam me!"

Don was checking Leo's wings over, and found that, other than a couple bullet holes and a few bruises, they were fine. Except the right wing joint; it was shattered completely. He wondered why Leo didn't act like he was in pain, but when he looked closer, he saw that the metal of Leo's shell was _moving_, pushing the bone back in place and sealing it together somehow.

"Hey, your new shell's made of nano-bots!" Donnie exclaimed. "That's incredible."

"Glad you appreciate my work," Bishop's voice hissed coldly. "Too bad you won't live to get one of your own." Bishop pressed a button and Leo stiffened, then collapsed, unconscious. "It has its perks."

Donnie and Raph stood over Leo, who was being shaken by a terrified Mikey. "Don! He's not breathing!" Don's blood ran cold. Raphael growled at Bishop and launched himself at the human while Don whirled and checked Leo's pulse. Sure enough, it was gone.

"No!" He and Mike turned Leo over and Don started CPR. _What killed him?_ Don wondered even as he bent to breathe into Leo.

"You can try to resuscitate him, but it won't work," Bishop said smugly, tossing Raph into a wall. The red-banded turtle leapt back into the fight with vigor. "He's got – oof!"

"Shut up!" Raph yelled, slamming his fist into Bishop's stomach. A small remote fell out of his hand and slid towards Mikey, who picked it up and was about to smash it when he saw an icon on it. He quickly looked at Leo's metal plastron, which held the same symbol. A green button was on the top, a red on the bottom. The red light in the middle was lit.

"Donnie! Back up a moment!" _Please let me be right,_ Mikey fervently wished, pushing the green button and watching Leo.

His Kavara's metal plastron and shell twisted and Leo took in a breath… then another. He coughed and sat up, only to be swamped by Mikey and Donnie.

"Raph! Raph!" Mikey called, distracting their hothead brother. "Leo's okay!"

"Great! Help me kick this bozo's butt to next week then!" Raph ordered, leaping out of range of Bishop's well-aimed foot.

Leo leapt to his feet and joined Raph. Between them, they managed to knock the crazy scientist out and locked him in the cell. Gripping Leo's old shell and the remote that controlled their brother's life and death, Mikey looked around, horrified. Stockman's robotic body was completely torn apart, and three guards were dead… pretty much gutted. Leonardo's arms wrapped around him, his wings closing over them both.

"I thought I lost you," Mike whispered, leaning into Leo and dropping the shell and remote.

"You will never lose me," Leo promised, hugging his Kalian fiercely. "As I will never lose you." Leo let go and backed up, letting his wings close. Raph was staring at the gory scene around them, and Donnie was examining the hallways.

"Where do you think Master Splinter is?" he asked. Leo cursed himself; he'd totally forgotten about Master Splinter!

"I'll see if I can smell him." Leo looked around. "But with all this blood, I surely won't be able to." He kicked a corpse and walked away. Raph was staring at him, Mikey's jaw dropped, and Donnie was too engulfed with looking at the shell and remote to notice.

"This way," Leo's voice called out from the right hand tunnel. "I smell them."

After a few turns and countless hallways, the four brothers found a cell with a window. Through that window, they say Master Splinter, meditating. Leonardo opened the door forcefully – he didn't have the combo, Mikey joked – and helped their Sensei out of the cramped chamber. Then, he opened the door to April and Casey's, and they climbed stiffly to their feet and walked out, gawking at Leo.

Mikey had the remote in his hand and was looking at it thoughtfully. Leo glanced at him fearfully.

"What're you doing?" the winged turtle finally asked.

"Just thinking… This thing puts you to sleep, kinda. I wonder… Would it work to shut you up during a lecture?" Mike asked, tossing the remote from one hand to the other.

"Careful!" Donnie shouted, grabbing it from the youngster. "I don't know if we can reverse the effects of this thing yet."

"I'm just saying…"

"He's right," Raph chuckled. "We can just shut Leo off when he starts acting too bossy."

"Yes," Donnie allowed, "but if Bishop has more than one, he can also kill Leo with it."

"He's only got one," Leo said. "And you're holding it."

"How do you know?" Donnie asked, looking up and catching his brother's eye. April cleared her throat.

"Let's get outta here before guards show up!"

"Aw, don't worry. We've got Leo here to protect us," Mike told her.

"She's right. We should go." Silently, the turtles and rat and humans headed for clean air, following Master Splinter. It was dark when they got outside.

Leo breathe in happily. It was good to be alive.

**A/N: Well, only one more chapter to go! Hope you've all liked it… Please, review. Until I get thirty reviews, I won't be posting the next chapter… and don't you want to know how this ends? ;-) **


	31. Home Again

A/N: Wow

**A/N: Wow! Ten reviews in a single night. Leo Oneal, you outdid yourself. Thanks for the specific comments so I know what works and what doesn't. Well, here it is, as promised; that last chapter. BTW, I've already started working in the sequel, and as soon as I get this posted, I'll have four chapters of The Vampire Comes Out at Night to post. Read it for more action with our favorite turtles, winged or no!**

Raph sighed, opening the door to his room. _Man, it's good to be home. _Memories of Bishop's cell swirled through his head, making him shake it angrily and punch the wall next to him.

He looked up, examining his room. Nothing was changed. Everything was perfect, just like he'd left it. The hammock he slept in – beds were so overrated – was messy, blankets and pillows scattered all over the large thing. His weight lifting set was set up neatly, his bench tucked against one wall. The small Sai collection glittered, a little dusty but okay other wise. His posters lined the walls, fading and torn like he remembered. The only bookshelf – filled mostly with CDs or books about learning how to play guitar – was standing near the hammock.

Raph sighed, sliding the door shut and taking a deep breath. Yep, still smelled like sweat and coffee, like Raph did. Well, unless he had a shower, then he smelled like the red bar of soap he used.

_Color coding is a wonderful thing, _Raph thought. He had seen Mikey's soap bar; it was not pretty. He was glad to have his own. And, though they never needed it, their bathroom was even stocked with colored shampoos. Mainly, they used those to wash when they ran out of soap, or Mikey used his on Klunk sometimes. Master Splinter had his own bathroom and shampoo, since he actually had hair. A _lot_ of it.

"Raph!" Leo's deep voice called. "Time for dinner!" Mikey could be heard squeaking in excitement as he petted Klunk, his orange tabby kitty. Don was rummaging through his room, which was the biggest because of the need for room for his experiments and monitors. No one complained; it was that, or let him store stuff in their rooms, and Raph, for one, didn't like that idea!

"I'm coming, O Winged One, keep your shell on!" Raph called back. He recalled, too late, that Leo's real shell was removed, and his new "shell" was metal. Very strong stuff, too, and self-healing. Donatello was planning a major overhaul of Leo's shell with April later.

"Like I can take it off!" Leo called back happily. Now, that still freaked Raph out a bit. Ever since Leo's soul had been returned, his moods had been as fickle as the wind. One moment, he was pranking them and blaming it on Mikey. The next, he was trashing Bishop's guards and practically gutting them. Then he'd get all emotional and protective of his Kalian, his dragonet, A.K.A Michelangelo.

Mike somehow won the spot of Kalian to Kavara, Leonardo's new nickname. Kalian meant "dragonet" in Elvish. Kavara was "Mother Dragon". And Leo acted like a Kavara, always making sure Mikey was not hurt. In fact, if Raph slapped Mike – for a bad joke, etc. – Leo would stiffen and start to growl before regaining control. When he panicked like that, something in his system made him forget rational thought. Don said it was the lasting effects of the RTS in his system, the Rational Thought Serum. It created something called TAS, or Transformation into Animal Syndrome.

Raph nimbly jumped down to the floor below, landing in a three-point position. Mikey snickered from somewhere in the kitchen, followed by a full-out laugh from Leo. Don was no where to be heard or seen.

As Raph rose from his crouch, he found that his feet were _glued_ to the floor. He could see the white ooze hardening and tried to free himself, but it must have been some of Donnie's special heat-glue, that only "melted" when it wasn't in contact with heat. Though Raph was cold blooded, he still produces enough heat to make this glue harden instantly.

"Leo!" he growled. "Mikey! Get your shells in here." Just as Raphael said it, he knew he was in for it as Leo's old shell, now a thing of jokes and not of bad memories, slid to a stop in front of him. "That's not funny!"

"Sure it is," Leonardo argued, entering the dining room with a hot plate and pan in his hands. Raph wasn't startled by his appearance anymore, though April had screamed when she first caught sight of their leader.

You see, Leo was changed, both physically and mentally. To make a long story short, he now had wings, a tail, horns sprouting from the top of his head, thick, scaly skin, and a metal shell and plastron. Said metal shell displayed his vitals on the back, which was convenient for anyone approaching him. If he was ready to jump at them – and with his new personality, that was a big possibility – his heart rate would be quick, and the panel on the back of his "shell" would display it clearly. Also, it somehow "read" his mind, and could tell you what kind of mood he was in at the time. That was extremely helpful, since Leo still wasn't being open with his emotions.

As Leo turned his back on Raph, the hothead scanned the display, just barely seeing the flashing blue icon that meant his brother was sad.

"What's wrong, Leo?" Mikey asked, probably noticing the same thing as Raph did. The glued-to-the-floor turtle harrumphed and tried to free himself again, pulling at the glue holding him.

"What's wrong, Leo?" Mikey asked. Leo smirked to himself; that shell display was starting to rub him the wrong way. It was hard enough to keep himself in the position of calm, collected, unfeeling leader, but this infernal device made it almost impossible.

"Nothing," Leo answered, his wing brushing his Kalian reassuringly.

"Yeah, right," Mikey grinned. "I'm going to free Raph."

"No!" Leo said in mock horror. "He'd tear us both apart."

Mikey raised his voice and made sure Raph could hear him. "It was your idea, and you were the one who stole the glue from Donnie's work shop!"

"WHO STOLE WHAT FROM MY WORKSHOP!?" Donnie's voice boomed. Leo's display started flashing, indicating that his pulse had skyrocketed.

Mikey, meanwhile, was calmly putting ice cubes around the glue on Raph's feet, with the promise from the hothead that Mike would be exempt from pummeling. Leo, however, was in for it.

In fact, here came Leo now. Donnie was chasing after him, trying to pin him down for some serious tickling. With a wing beat, Leo was out of reach and hovering above them all.

"Oh, no you don't," Don shouted. "Get down here!" Raph was finally free and joined Donnie below Leo's flying form. Mike watched, an amused smile on his face.

Master Splinter came from his room to find Leonardo clinging to a pipe near the ceiling, Raphael and Donatello circling like wolves below. Michelangelo was grinning as he watched.

"Uh hum," Master Splinter cleared his throat. "What has Leonardo done now?"

Ever since he had regained his soul, Leonardo had shown a lighter side that rivaled Mikey's creativity in pranks. However, he also had a temper that was worse than Raph's on a bad day, but thankfully had the patience of Donatello.

"He glued me to the floor!" Raphael cried, outraged.

"With glue he stole from me," Donatello added menacingly. "Sensei, you and Mikey can go ahead and eat. I think we want to stay here and wait for Kavara to descend." Don looked up at Leo, who was very big now. In fact, if he got much bigger, he wouldn't fit on that pipe.

"What makes you think I will?" Leo yelled from his perch, wing claws holding him in place. He was actually standing upside down, his arms folded. Raph snickered and sat down, willing to wait patiently.

"Because you're still growing and hungry," Don answered matter-of-factly. He joined Raph on the floor, and Master Splinter and Mikey headed for the dining table. Soon, they were eating.

Leo was still waiting for his brothers to get bored and leave. He was hungry! Besides, if he wanted to, he could have snatched something save for the fact that Mike had rallied against him now.

"You guys aren't going to give up, huh?" Leo asked, glancing down at his brothers. He was lying on the pipe, his wings dangling down below him.

"Nope," three voice answered in unison. Mike had brought Don and Raph food, the little traitor, and they had made many noises of content while eating, smacking their lips and so on.

"Well, then I suppose I'll just sleep up here." Leo shifted to get more comfortable and pretended to fall asleep.

Don watched his winged brother. He wasn't worried about Leo falling off; his wings had a mind of their own, and if he so much as shifted, they'd latch onto the pipe with an unmovable grip.

"Mikey, Raph," he whispered lowly, hoping Leo, with his enhanced hearing, wouldn't hear them. He looked up, but Leo hadn't moved. His wings were vibrating slightly, which meant he was not troubled but content. It was amazing what the three younger brothers could tell just from Leo's new appendages. The display helped a lot, but Leo didn't turn his shell on them often. Not after finding out about the display, which he didn't know about when Bishop changed his shell.

"I've got a plan," Don continued, pressing his beak to Raph's ear and then Mikey's, repeating his announcement.

After telling them what he wanted to do, Raph nodded, and gleeful gleam in his chocolate eyes. Mikey nodded and then yawned loudly. Above, Leo's wings latched onto the pipe, indicating that he had woken and shifted in response.

"Well, since I'm not out for revenge, I think I'll head to bed," Mikey said in his normal voice. He smiled to Don and Raph, knowing Leo wouldn't see it, and trundled off to his medium-sized clutter box he laughingly called a room. To be honest, no one had actually seen the floor of that place in a year.

Don and Raph waited for Phase Two, in which Mikey would scream and pretend there was a monster under his bed. As per usual, Don would sigh and get up to check on it, then decide he was tired and would resume chasing Leo in the morning.

Mike's scream made Leo above shift again, this time in agitation. Don wondered if, with his new instincts for Mikey being his Kalian, Leo would go to his rescue, but the winged turtle just sat up and looked down at them.

"Well, I'll go check it out," Don said casually, stretching as he stood. Raph nodded but kept his eyes locked on their renegade brother. "Be back in a few."

Don and Mikey sat in Mikey's room, waiting for Raph to tromp past muttering about Leo. That would be the signal that Leo was calmed down and would soon descend to floor height. Then, it was just a matter of catching him… which would prove difficult.


	32. Home Again, Part 2

Raph looked at the door to Mikey's room, where Don was allegedly scaring a "monster" from under the bed

Raph looked at the door to Mikey's room, where Don was allegedly scaring a "monster" from under the bed. It was a valid excuse; Mikey was convinced that monsters existed and would do anything for attention, so he often complained about scary noises from under his bed as an excuse to bunk with someone. Increasingly, that someone was Leonardo, who would wrap Mike in his wings and whisper stories to him.

"Well, have fun sitting there, Raph," Don said, yawning hugely. "Agh. I'm so tired I would just fall asleep. I'll get you in the morning, Leo." A laugh from above told them that their brother would be on high alert for a while.

Raph grunted affirmation and turned his gaze back on the leader of the turtles. Leo was outlined in shadow, his wings mantling his body like sails on a small ship. Seriously, for Leo's size, the wings he could maneuver dwarfed him. They were fifteen feet long and three feet tall when extended. Also, since Leo had made the transition into a warm blooded creature, his wings were thermal blankets. He didn't sleep with covers anymore because his wings would cover him completely and keep him warm, since his body was cold-blooded after he went to sleep.

Leo was messed up physically, but he managed. The first few days with those heavy wings, though… And now, weighing in at over three hundred pounds, Leo stood almost three feet taller than Mikey. He was a gigantic turtle! Yet he still retained his grace, so he moved like a huge shadow. He looked like one, too, with the black writing that was slowly covering his skin. His wings and tail were already black.

Raph wondered if there was a word in Elvish for "Shadow Warrior" or "Shadow Dragon Warrior". Mikey would know; he was studying dragons and their needs, and he had found a website that displayed Elvish name suffixes and prefixes, which he had set out to memorize. That's where Kalian and Kavara came from.

Raph's Elvish name was Koriat, which meant "Black Fire". He liked it, personally. Don had been renamed Thohar, or One Who Seeks True Wisdom.

Leo would not give up; he had a dragon's sense of patience, and no one could match that!

"Agh, fine, O Winged One. I'm hitting the hay. But tomorrow… you're mine!" Raph called, shaking his fist at his brother's shrouded form before walking out muttering. He met Mike and Don far enough into the wing of the lair that held their rooms that Leo wouldn't hear them and gave them a thumbs-up.

"We're good to go."

"Alriiiight!" Mikey said. "I've always wanted to be on this side of the fights." Raph smacked him gently, knowing Mikey could cry out and ruin the trap.

They all crept closer to the main room, listening for a thump.

Don signaled for silence, and Raph froze.

_Thump._

Ah, his brother had come down from his lofty perch. Raph grinned and grabbed a rope Don had stashed just for this purpose, getting ready to throw the lasso around Leo's wing. Mikey did the same as Don got ready to spring forward. He'd be the "cannonball" that would knock Leo onto his shell. Mikey and Raph would keep him from taking flight with the ropes they now held.

However, they'd need to surprise Leo, and since his eyes were delicate, throwing the light switch should work.

Raph nodded and Don flipped the main control, flooding the living room with light. Navigating by the sound of Leo's wings unfurling in preparation of take-off, Raph threw his rope, felt it snag, and pulled it tight. Mikey did the same and trapped Leo's flailing left wing.

"Gotcha!" Don cried as he slammed into Leo's chest. The cool metal of his brother's plastron gave him hardly a pause as he straddled Leo's chest and pinned his wrists beneath Don's knees.

"You've been practicing," Leo accused, warmth in his voice. His blacked-out mask made him look eyeless, but Don knew that Leo's red slit eyes were on him, he could feel the stare.

Before Leo could breathe fire on him, Don slapped a hand over his pinned brother's mouth and clucked appreciatively.

"I thought you'd hear us. Guess you really were off guard," Mikey teased, folding Leo's wing in and sitting on it to keep him from hitting them with it. Raph did the same, and they soon encircled their leader's body.

"So… what would be a good punishment?" Raph drawled, running his fingers down Leo's side. Their brother squirmed under Don, face scrunching as he tried not to laugh. He was very ticklish, so ticklish that a light caress could send him into a fit of giggles.

Mikey copied Raph's move and Leo squiggled away from him as well. Don smiled and slapped a small metal device over Leo's mouth as he took his hand away. It kept their leader's fire breath from becoming hot, since it was super-cooled metal that would freeze the flame instantly.

"S-stop it! Anything but this!" Leo cried, trying to break free from Don. Mikey grinned maliciously.

"Ooh, Kavara doesn't like being tickled?" Mikey drawled, running his fingers lightly up Leo's side. "Kavara's ticklish?"

"As you well know!"

Don and Raph snickered as Mikey continued tickling his Kavara. Mike was the only one who called Leo Kavara; Don and Raph called him Leo or Aelnes, which means "Knight of the Heart". Raph was also known as Baelnes, or "Guardian of the Heart". This made sense, since the family was a heart beating as one and Leo was the knight who stood up for it, and Raph guarded it like a dragon guards its treasure.

Donatello laughed as Leo's face twitched from trying not to laugh as Mikey's tickling became harder, faster.

"You can stop now," Raph said. "I've got an idea. Mikey, wrap up that wing. Don, can ya tie his wrists and ankles together?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Remember how Leo hates cold water?" Raph asked, forcing Leo's wings closed and tying his rope securely around it. Leo's eyes widened and he started struggling earnestly.

"I think I do," Don laughed, grabbing Leo's hands and tying them together with some rope from his belt. He gave the rest to Mike, who tied their brother's ankles together.

"Well, it just so happens that our pond is very cold right now." Raph positioned himself over Leo's head. Leo seemed to look up, but they couldn't really tell without seeing his eyes. "And Aelnes here is going for a swim, whether he likes it… or not."

It would take all three of them to drag Leo over to the pool in the middle of the lair, and that was if he would behave and stop squirming. Finally, Mikey ran and got a large sheet. They rolled Leo up in it, grabbed the two ends, and heaved him towards the cold water.

Leo was never hurt when he took a dunking. His tail was powerful enough to propel him out of the water, even without his legs, arms, or wings.

Slowly, they unwound Leo from his sheet and Don plucked the super-cooled metal from Leo's mouth with tongs, tossing it aside carefully. If someone stepped on that, they could get a very nasty case of frostbite in a minute or less.

Then, they pushed Leo into the pond. He tried to flap his wings, but was unable to. Mikey, Raph, and Don laughed hard, waiting for Leo to emerge and tear off his binding ropes. Then, he'd lie down on the cement, trying to warm up, which was pathetically easy for him to do now. Don was disappointed; he wouldn't get lethargic from the cold water anymore.

However, when a minute passed, the laughter died down and all three brothers stared at the water. Where was Leo?

Raph removed his Sai and knelt down, close to the water, to see if he could see anything.

He didn't even have time to shout as the water exploded and he was dragged under by Leo's tail wrapped firmly around his wrist. When he opened his eyes, he found Leo grinning at him. Something was wrong; Leo was laughing and seemed to be sucking in water. Then Raph noticed his neck. Leo had sprouted gills.

"Whoa!" Raph yelled. Leo frowned and released him, then tore off his bindings and opened his wings.

Mikey and Don were watching, waiting for Leo to appear, when the water shot up again and Leo was flapping in front of them, his wings shiny with wetness. Raph appeared a moment later, coughing and pulling himself onto land.

"Geez, Leo, why didn't you tell us?" Raph demanded, reclaiming his Sai and staring angrily at his brother.

"What?" Don asked worriedly.

"O Winged One there has gills," Raph spat, pointing at Leo's neck. "Show him, Leo!"

Carefully, knowing Raph was beyond furious, he was worried, Leo descended and shut his wings.

"Is that true?" Donnie asked, staring at Leo's neck, which didn't sprout gills anymore.

"I guess so. I just found out, too, Raph. I didn't know I had them." Leo turned to Don and breathed in, then his neck skin fluttered and the red flesh of gills showed up, the air exhaling through them.

"Amazing!" Donnie cried. "Leo, you keep mutating and soon enough, you'll have nothing else left to get!"

"Tell me about it. Let's get to bed. I'm tired." Leo stalked past them in a huff, heading for his room.

All four turtles retired, ready for some well-deserved rest. What happened next? Well, you'll have to read _The Vampire Comes Out at Night_ to find out!


End file.
